A Guardian
by TheFrankMaster
Summary: It's just another day at the castle in New Home: as the ruler of the Underground, king Asriel has to sort out the usual political happenings to keep his people happy. The day takes a twist, however, when a Royal Guardsman informs him of the arrival of a young Human child…
1. Prologue

**IMPORTANT MESSAGE: This story is NOT related to any of my other Undertale story/stories; this is an alternate universe where no children had ever fallen down, and Asriel – who is now an adult – looks like his 'god of Hyperdeath' version.**

* * *

 **A Guardian**

Asriel Dreemurr let out a tired sigh as he read the many messages he had received that day, looking through them as his eyes threatened to close from exhaustion.

Seeing the huge stack of letters that had been delivered to him had already tired him out before he had begun reading. It wasn't an unusual thing for him to get that much mail, though: since he was the king, everyone sent their complaints about pretty much everything to him, after which they only had to hope that he'd do something about it.

The main reason why he was so tired however, was that it was late: the quiet atmosphere, the darkness outside, his general knowledge of the time and the fact that his day had mostly consisted of meetings and such hadn't given him the chance to read the messages early. The result was a mentally exhausted Asriel being forced to read them in the evening.

He sighed again and closed his eyes. _How could Dad ever keep this up?_

When Asriel became king, his parents moved to the Ruins, where they'd keep a lookout for any Humans that would fall down. Asriel did the same at the other entrance to the Underground, which was located next to the castle's garden/throne room. Asriel's father was loved among the people, even now that he was no longer their leader. The current king had also made a good impression, but he himself highly doubted he'd ever be as popular as his old man.

He didn't mind that specifically: he thought Asgore fully deserved the title of best king in the history of the Underground. It was just a little…disheartening to know that he'd never be able to serve the people as good as his parents had done.

Asriel reopened his eyes and groggily stood up. _I can read these another time, I suppose_ he thought, immediately realizing that it would probably lead to an accumulation of messages from today and tomorrow, which in turn would lead to more stress. But at the moment, he didn't care.

He walked out of the room and was just about to head for his bedroom when a Royal Guardsman suddenly appeared at the stairs in the corridor.

"Your Majesty!" the Guardsman – an anthropomorphic dog with a suit of armor, whose duty it was to guard the entrance to the Underground in the castle's garden when Asriel was absent – called. "I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour, but there is something I must inform you of!"

The king yawned. "Can it wait?" he asked a bit more curtly than intended. "I was just about to go to sleep."

"Again, I apologize," the Guardsman said, "but a Human has been caught passing the Barrier."

That made Asriel's eyes go wide. "A Human?"

"A child, your Majesty. It appears to be very frightened. My men are currently guarding it downstairs."

"In the throne room?"

"Yes."

* * *

With a fast pace and a suddenly energized mind, the king entered the throne room (which also happened to be the garden) to see two more Royal Guardsmen (which looked like dogs as well) stand at the sides of a petrified Human child, who lay on the ground with tears in her eyes. Once Asriel entered her view, she flinched and whimpered in fear before subconsciously moving backwards.

Asriel didn't really blame her: he could understand if the modern Humans weren't used to seeing a being like him. That, combined with his impressive height and majestic but scary appearance, likely served as a recipe for fear.

Knowing this, the king carefully took a few steps in her direction. As a response, the Human backed up against the throne, her tearful face still looking at him.

Asriel looked at the Royal Guardsmen. "You can go," he ordered. "I'll sort this out."

The three dog men nodded and left. Asriel turned back to the small child – who was frozen once more – before taking another step in her direction and carefully kneeling down to her eye level.

"It's okay," he softly assured. The child didn't budge.

"You're safe," the king continued. "I won't hurt you."

The child whimpered once again. Asriel estimated her age to be somewhere around six years old, give or take, but he couldn't be certain given his somewhat limited knowledge of Humans. In any case, this one was still scared, and calming her down probably wasn't going to be easy.

Not sure what to do, Asriel slowly held out his hand towards the Human in a calming manner to see if she would take it. He didn't know if it was a good idea, but it was worth a try.

His suspicions were confirmed, however, when the child backed away more against the throne, looking at the hand in fear.

The king sighed and put it down before another idea popped up in his head. He looked at the child and smiled. "You hungry? I think I got some butterscotch-cinnamon pie left upstairs…"

It wasn't completely ineffective: the child's eyes lighted up briefly before turning back to their fearful versions, albeit with a very minor hint of doubt. The kind of doubt one sees when someone is unsure as to whether they should trust you or not. It wasn't much, but it _was_ progress.

Asriel suddenly realized that the Human was looking at his teeth, which had made themselves visible when he smiled and talked. He had completely forgotten about how sharp some of them were: probably another thing he had to be careful about if he didn't want to scare this child more than he already did.

"You look tired, too," he said upon noticing the dark bags under the Human's eyes. "You can take a nap here if you like. I've got some spare beds you could use."

He held out his hand again. The child flinched again, but not much. "Please. I promise I won't hurt you."

The Human blinked, and Asriel decided to give her some time to think about the situation. He patiently waited for her to come to a decision, which took close to a minute to make before she hesitantly grabbed onto the king's hand.

Asriel smiled again.

* * *

Knowing his constant gaze would unsettle her, the king didn't look straight at the child while she ate the butterscotch-cinnamon pie in silence. She had definitely been hungry, and even though Asriel wasn't looking at her, he could tell that she liked it. And yet, despite those two conclusions, the Human definitely took her time and was careful not to leave any crumbs on the plate or the table.

Once she was done, Asriel looked at her as he took her plate.

"Can you tell me your name?" he asked.

The child looked up at him slightly, like a slave looking up at their master. She was obviously still scared, but not as scared as she was in the throne room. The only thing Asriel could do to fully gain her trust was wait, though giving her a place to sleep would probably help.

She looked down again and mumbled something in a tiny voice.

"What's that?" Asriel asked.

The child swallowed before repeating what she said in a barely audible voice. "F…Frisk…"

"Frisk…" the king repeated. He then smiled again. "I like that name. It's a nice name."

Frisk blushed and she looked further down upon hearing that compliment. She was obviously shy, afraid or both. His smile vanished and he stood up, Frisk's plate in his hand.

"You look tired," he said. "You can sleep here for a while. Just…" he hesitated. "Eventually, we'll be able to get you back through the Barrier. You must have someone to return to, right?"

The child didn't respond, causing Asriel to assume she either didn't want or dare to talk about it. Either way, he decided that she had to sleep.

He put the plate back down and walked over to her seat, gently putting his hand on her shoulder. At first she didn't react aside from a minor flinch, but when Asriel knelt down slightly, she grabbed his hand with both her arms and held it close.

"Thank you, sir…" she murmured.

The king blinked, and then smiled again. "You're welcome," he said. "My name is Asriel, by the way. I'm the king."

"Thank you, king Asriel…" Frisk corrected, her eyes closed.

They stayed like that for a few seconds, before Asriel gently picked the Human up from her chair and carried her over to what used to be his bedroom when he himself was a kid.

* * *

 **So…yeah. This just appeared in my head after seeing some fan art where Asriel is depicted as a parental figure for a young Frisk. It had to happen. I can't be the first writer to get an idea like this, can I?**

 **Alright, please read this, because this can be considered important: I'm not sure if I'll continue this: I can leave this like a one-shot, or write more. Please tell me what you want me to do.**

 **~F**


	2. Grandparents

**Alright, so apparently you fellows liked this! And I'll be more than happy to continue. Please note, it's not going to develop into some sophisticated story: it'll be more like one-shots where Frisk will meet other Monsters and such.**

* * *

Feeling the time through the use of his biological clock, Asriel stretched and yawned in his bed before reluctantly getting up and doing it again, all the while feeling something scratch at the back of his skull that tried to remind him of…something.

He furiously shook his head a few times in an attempt to remove the last few snippets of drowsiness before he finally recalled the events that transpired the previous evening. His half-lidded eyes shot open when he remembered Frisk, and he made a mental note to be as quiet as possible to make sure he wouldn't wake the Human from her peaceful sleep.

The second thought he had was about what was going to happen to her next: how were they going to send her back? And if they couldn't do that, how were they going to tell her? Would he ever see her again if she managed to somehow leave?

He shook those thoughts out of his head. _Don't think about that now._

Having almost completely expelled the leftover sleepiness that had still been clinging onto his body and mind, he quietly opened his bedroom door and slipped into the hallway. He snuck through it, careful not to-

A noise from Frisk's bedroom made him freeze. He hesitated a bit, thinking he had woken her up, before listening again.

…

It was definitely Frisk's voice that made the sound.

She was…sobbing?

Aside from the door still separating the hallway from the bedroom, there was something else that had kept Asriel from hearing it at first. It was as if someone or something was muffling the poor kid's voice in an attempt to keep them as silent as possible for whatever reason.

This filled the king with worry, causing him to approach the door and open it as quietly as possible. He peeked through the thin opening to see Frisk's tiny figure on the bed. She had grabbed her pillow tightly, and now forcefully pushed her face into it, like she tried to keep herself quiet. Her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably, and their movements corresponded with the sobbing noises.

It was when Asriel fully opened the door that the child sensed his presence. Immediately, she jolted upward, turned around to face the king and frantically started to crawl to the very corner of the bed, away from Asriel, her face wet with tears.

It looked as if she was scared to see him.

"Kid?" the king softly asked as he entered the room. Frisk only backed away more. "What happened?"

The Human didn't answer, only looking at him with her petrified eyes. And yet, this was definitely a different kind of fear from what Asriel saw in the throne room…

"Hey, it's okay," he assured. But Frisk shook her head.

"Please!" she squeaked. "Please don't hurt me!"

The king stood still in the middle of the room. He blinked. "Why would I hurt you?" he asked with that same soft voice.

"Because…" Frisk sobbed. "Because I bothered you?"

Asriel blinked again. "Bothered me?"

The Human covered her face with her hands. "Yes! Back home, Mommy and Daddy would hurt me if I cry!"

Asriel's questioning look turned into a shocked one. "What?"

"Because I bother them! Tonight I had a nightmare. If I have a nightmare, I cry. And if Mommy or Daddy hear my crying…" she sniffed. "They come into my room and hurt me!"

Now it was Asriel's turn to be petrified. Petrified of hearing this little kid's story about how things were back at her home on the Surface. He suddenly felt stupid; he didn't consider the possible reasons why a kid of Frisk's age would climb Mount Ebott. Sure, it could've been curiosity, but what if she'd been fleeing from something? Something like her abusive parents?

Frisk's sobbing brought him back to reality, and prompted him to walk over to the child's bed. He sat down, carefully picked Frisk's tiny frame up and held her close in a calming hug.

Shocked, Frisk stopped crying as Asriel gently let his hand go through her hair in a fatherly manner.

"There there…" he whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you." A determined look suddenly filled his eyes. "I won't let _anyone_ hurt you."

The Human was frozen. Then, hesitantly, she hugged him back.

She resumed her crying, with the king comforting her to the best of his ability.

* * *

The revelations about Frisk's life on the Surface remained on Asriel's mind for the entire morning that followed. It had him thinking about Humans and how many of them were prepared to do such a thing. Not every Human was evil, that much he knew, but he wondered how many were actually good.

Frisk herself had a different thought going through her head: Asriel's reactions when he heard her crying, and when she told him about what her parents would do. It had come as a surprise to her, as being beat up as a punishment for crying was all she knew. That was the main rule in her house: no crying, no screaming, as little talking as possible.

While he had been behaving with a kindness Frisk had never really seen before, she was still a bit shocked when he didn't do what she expected him to do. Her shock had increased when he said he wasn't going to let himself or anyone hurt her. It didn't take long before her confusion turned into relief, though; she just hoped he wouldn't change his mind at some point.

The duo currently found itself in the dining room, eating breakfast. Neither of them didn't know what there would be to talk about, so they just remained silent as they continued their morning routine.

When they were done, Asriel brought their plates to the kitchen. He returned shortly after and sat back down on the table, facing Frisk.

Another silence.

Then, the king spoke. His voice was soft, with a hint of hesitance in it.

"You…alright?"

Frisk silently nodded.

"Hey, about what your parents did…you don't need to worry about that anymore. I'll make sure nothing like that will happen again." He leaned forward and put his hand on the child's cheek, prompting her to look up at him. "You understand?"

The human nodded again, before suddenly bringing her arms up and holding Asriel's hand in place. "King Asriel?"

"What is it, kid?" the king asked.

"Can you take care of me?" she asked. "Please?"

The question caught Asriel off-guard, and for a second he didn't know what to say. He knew what she was asking: she wanted him to be her guardian, her foster parent; but he knew that as a condition, she had to live in the Underground. Was that really what she deserved? To never see the sun again except through the few holes where rays of light shone down into the cavern?

But then, the king made his choice.

"I will," he answered. "I'll take care of you for as long as you need."

* * *

"Well!" Asgore exclaimed in a jolly voice and with a wide grin. "Let us see how our king is doing today!"

Toriel chuckled. "Emphasis on 'see', of course."

The former king and queen had just arrived in New Home, about to pay their son a visit to see how he was holding up. After all, both of them knew the upsides and downsides of being the leader of the Underground, and since Asriel didn't have anyone to help him like Toriel and Asgore had each other, all the work would be put on the young king's shoulders until it'd force him on his knees.

Furthermore, every time his parents would ask him how he was, he'd say he was 'fine' or 'alright' with an amazingly convincing voice. Toriel and Asgore were rarely fooled by this, however, and now they were planning to take some action.

After being greeted by Monsters left and right, they finally arrived at Asriel's residence and walked up to the entrance, where Asgore stuck his head inside and hollered his son's name before entering the building with Toriel right behind him.

* * *

A huge, jolly voice boomed through the house, making both Frisk and Asriel jump. Startled, the former quickly held onto the latter's hand and hid behind him, peeking just around the tall goat man's legs to see who was there.

The king looked down at the child, giving a reassuring smile as he kneeled down at her. "It's alright," he said. "I know who it is."

Just when he said that, Frisk gasped at two figures she saw standing behind Asriel.

One figure was…humongous: he was about as tall as Asriel himself, but his shoulders were almost twice as broad. He had a blonde beard and hair (or manes, rather) of the same color. The only reason why his horns didn't scrape the ceiling was that the ceiling's height itself was overdone, likely for this goal.

The other figure was smaller and radiated less joviality, instead showing a soft, calm expression. She had red eyes, which Frisk might've thought to be scary if it weren't for the kindness they displayed. Her horns were small, but their shape resembled Asriel's a bit more than those the huge figure had on his head.

And both, like Asriel, looked like anthropomorphic goats…

The king looked at them and smiled. "Howdy, guys!"

"Asriel!" the woman greeted in a soft but happy voice. "How are you doing, my son?"

"Can't complain," Asriel replied. He felt Frisk's grip tighten on his hand.

Toriel saw the child and kneeled down to Frisk's eye level. "And who is this?"

Asgore grinned. "Say, you never informed me that I had become grandpa."

The king blinked, then his eyes widened. "Oh goodness, I totally forgot to tell you about her arrival!" he realized. "I'm so sorry—"

He was silenced when his grinning father put up his hand. "It is all right, Son! With all the responsibilities that come with being a king – and a father – one tends to forget."

That made Asriel generate a sigh of embarrassment and relief. "Heh…" he chuckled. "I guess. Anyway…" He looked at Frisk. "Frisk, these are my parents. There's no need to be scared, they're really nice."

He tried to signal to her to go and meet them, but she only tightened her grip more and whimpered a bit. She hid her face in Asriel's arm.

The king looked at his parents. "She's…a bit shy, I guess."

"That is all right," Asgore said. "You were not much different when you were younger." He chuckled. "Those were the days."

Asriel sighed again. "Can we _please_ talk about this some other time?"

"But you were so lovable as a young child!" Toriel said. Asgore nodded in agreement.

"Yup! Even when you tried to steal more pie after dinner, you—"

"Alright, I think that's enough," Asriel interrupted.

"It was so difficult to say no to that face—"

" _Dad_."

That was when the king noticed something shake uncontrollably in his arm, and he looked to see Frisk…giggling?

At first, he thought she was crying – until he saw that huge smile on her face, which made him realize that this was the first time he saw her display a positive emotion. It was nice to know she could still do that; he almost started to think she'd lost that ability after what happened on the Surface.

Maybe she had lost it…and he had just given it back to her…?

Regardless, the two others were also delighted to see the child finally smiling, as evidenced by their own benevolent smiles as they looked at her. Asriel grinned as well, although a bit more teasing.

"Heh…so that's funny, eh?" he said, causing Frisk to giggle more.

Then, he reached out with his other hand and lifted her up with ease. He was glad to see she didn't flinch when his parents came closer, and his grin widened.

"Welp," he said, "guess it's time for you to meet your grandparents."


	3. Meeting a certain skeleton duo

**A quick note: because no Humans have fallen down before in this universe and Asriel didn't die, remember that Toriel and Asgore never separated. Also, there are some other things that are different…**

* * *

The family relationship between the child and her grandparents grew like a tree in an optimal environment, and the result corresponded with it. While still a bit shy at first, Frisk was quickly smiling again in reaction to Toriel's kind words and Asgore's jolly, somewhat goofy behavior. Asriel couldn't help but feel relieved when he saw this.

Currently, Toriel was reading a book to the child, with said child sitting on the former queen's lap. Asgore went to stand next to his son, who was leaning against the wall while watching the two others interact.

"She is a good child," Asgore spoke. "How did she end up here?"

"Through the Barrier," Asriel answered with some dryness in his voice.

"Yes, I got that," his father chuckled, "but I never expected a Human that young to climb a mountain like this one. And one that is likely rumored to be cursed, no less."

The king's smile dropped. He sighed, hesitated, and replied. "Well…from what I gathered, her backstory is kind of…sad." He looked at his old man. "I think her parents were abusive."

That made Asgore's eyes go wide as he looked back, not knowing what to say.

"Yup," Asriel said, "that's what I thought." He looked towards his adopted daughter again. "Why would anyone want to hurt such an innocent little kid?"

"How did you find out?" Asgore asked, still shocked.

"She had a nightmare. When I came looking, she was scared. Apparently, her parents would hurt her whenever she cried."

The blonde haired goat man put a hand to his mouth, letting it slide over his beard before dropping it again. "That is awful…"

"And that is why she asked me to take care of her," Asriel revealed. "And that's what I'm going to do. There's no way I'm going to risk her getting hurt by other Humans again."

"Of course," Asgore said. His face then briefly turned pensive, after which a grin appeared on his face. "Heh…Papa Asriel. That sounds adorable."

It was evening when the visitors left. Frisk was very reluctant to say goodbye, but they assured her that she'd see them again in the near future. That didn't stop her from giving both a parting hug, however.

When they were gone, Asriel caught the child yawning and realized that it was bedtime for her. He himself did some more paperwork before going to his own bedroom, wondering what the next day would bring.

* * *

 **The next day**

"You really don't have to be scared," Asriel said as he looked down to his side, where Frisk nervously clung onto his hand as she looked around, looking rather scared.

The two were currently taking a walk in Snowdin; Asriel thought it'd be a good start for the Human to get used to the Underground, and for the Underground to get used to the Human. Unfortunately, neither of them had shown signs of improvement on that matter so far, as evidenced by Frisk's frightened expression and the weird (sometimes scared) looks she got from the surrounding Monsters. The king had felt a slight sting of despondency upon noticing this, but kept some hope when he remembered who he was really looking for here.

When knocking on the house where Sans and Papyrus – two skeleton brothers – lived, it became apparent that they weren't home. The first thought Asriel got when this revelation came to be was to return to New Home, but this was quickly overridden by his decision to look for them. With Sans' relaxed, friendly attitude and Papyrus' excitement to actually see a Human, the king was certain that meeting them would give Frisk some more friends to play with.

Of course, he could've gone to Undyne first, but knowing her, she would probably scare the child more. Dr. Alphys and Dr. Gaster were other options, but he didn't want to keep either of them from their scientific duties. Both were nice people, but they had a lot on their minds as the Royal Scientists of the Underground.

Regardless, Asriel finally found the skeleton brothers at their sentry station just outside the Ruins, bickering like usual. It wasn't hard to spot them, since barely anyone came here aside from them. Also, it was Papyrus' voice that allowed the king to be alerted to his presence before seeing him or Sans.

"-ET OFF YOUR LAZY BACKSIDE AND BE THE SENTRY YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE!" Papyrus shouted through the woods.

It was followed with a reply from a much darker and more relaxed voice, which had a witty tone mixed in. "c'mon, bro, don't tell me you never feel like napping for a bit."

"WHAT! HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE THE GREAT PAPYRUS OF SUCH AN ATROCITY! YOU BETTER BE HOPING UNDYNE WON'T HEAR THIS!"

"alright," the second voice indifferently said, followed by a yawn. "i'm hoping."

"SANS! YOU CAN HOPE AND DO YOUR JOB AT THE SAME TIME!"

"actually, i can only _hope and dream_."

"SANS!"

Asriel felt Frisk's grip on his hand tighten, and he looked down to see her shaking. Worried, the king kneeled down and put his other arm around her in a half-hug.

"It's okay," he assured. "Those voices belong to some good friends of mine. They wouldn't hurt a fly."

Papyrus' gasp could be heard. "SANS! I HEARD A VOICE!"

"yup, me too. hey, who's there?" Sans lazily called.

"SANS! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO ACCOMPANY ME WHILE I INVESTIGATE!"

"meh. probably just some guy walking 'round."

"Come on," the king softly said to the child. "I'll be with you the entire time. There's nothing to be scared of."

Frisk hesitated. She then swallowed and nodded.

Asriel smiled and stood up, keeping a protective arm around the child's shoulders.

"SANS!" Papyrus continued, paused, then sighed. "YOU'RE…PROBABLY RIGHT…ALTHOUGH I FEEL LIKE I KNOW THAT VOICE WE HEARD! DID IT SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU?"

"pretty sure it's asriel," Sans replied as he leaned back in his seat.

"WH—…KING ASRIEL? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY YOU RECOGNIZED HIM?! WE COULD'VE SAID HI!"

"he's already saying hi to us, i think." The short skeleton looked over his brother's shoulder and gave the approaching huge goat man a nod. "sup, king."

"KING ASRIEL!" Papyrus enthusiastically exclaimed after turning around. "WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE TO SEE YOU IN THIS TIME AND SPACE! HOW ARE YOU—" He froze when he saw something hide behind Asriel's leg.

The skeleton frowned. "YOUR MAJESTY, I BELIEVE THERE IS INDEED SOMETHING HIDING BEHIND YOUR RIGHT LEG! MAY I SUGGEST YOU INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER AT ONCE!"

"No need for that, Paps," the king smiled. He looked down at his leg, and his voice turned a bit softer. "It's okay, Frisk…"

The child hesitantly peeked from behind Asriel, carefully eyeing the skeleton brothers.

Papyrus gasped again. "OH MY GOODNESS!" he exclaimed. He then turned to his brother. "SANS! IS THAT A…HUMAN?"

Sans lazily looked down at where Papyrus was pointing, and gave a friendly smile when he saw a Human child give him a fearful look.

"i think it is," he replied. "sup, kid. i'm sans. sans the skeleton." He gestured to Papyrus. "and that there's papyrus, my bro."

"HUMAN! IT IS SUCH A PLEASURE TO FINALLY MEET YOU!" the taller skeleton said. "DO NOT FEAR! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL DO MY BEST TO HELP YOU RETURN TO YOUR HOME!"

Asriel looked down at Frisk. "Thanks for the offer, Paps…" Asriel said. He looked down at Frisk. "But I don't think that will be necessary"

The child looked up at him and smiled. Papyrus' eyes widened, and so did his grin (if that was even possible).

"HUZZAH! SANS, DO YOU HEAR THAT? WE GOT A HUMAN FRIEND!"

"yup, that sounds pretty cool to me," Sans replied as he looked at Frisk again. "hey kid, ya wanna hear some cool jokes?"

"SANS! IF YOU DARE CORRUPT THIS INNOCENT CHILD WITH YOUR PUNS, I WILL GROUND YOU!"

"good. if i'm grounded, i can sleep all day long."

"SANS!"

Asriel chuckled at the two, and was once again pleased when he saw Frisk do the same, albeit a bit quieter.

Sans noticed this and winked.

"WHICH ONE OF US HERE IS ACTUALLY DOING HIS JOB?!" Papyrus went on. "YOU LAZYBONES!"

"ay."

"NOT FUNNY!"

"i thought it was pretty funny."

"YOU THOUGHT WRONG! NOW…" The tall skeleton turned to Asriel, who quickly ceased his chuckling. "WOULD YOU LIKE SOME SPAGHETTI, YOUR MAJESTY? AND HUMAN? COOKED BY THE GREAT MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS WHOSE COOKING SKILLS CANNOT BE BEAT!"

The king blinked. "Uh…well, actually we just had breakfast."

"AH, I SEE! I WILL LEAVE THE SPAGHETTI FOR ANOTHER TIME, THEN!" Papyrus bent down to look at the child. "REMEMBER, HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN MAKE SPAGHETTI THAT WILL BE A MAJOR PART IN YOUR EDUCATION AND INTEGRATION HERE! DO NOT FORGET TO EAT IT AT ONE POINT IN TIME AND SPACE!"

The child shyly nodded.

Asriel, who had experienced the results of Papyrus' cooking skills for himself, quickly changed the subject. "W-well, no offense to you, Papyrus, but maybe she should get her knowledge from other places. I mean, what's better for her integration than to see the Underground for herself?"

"RIGHT. BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP YOU FROM HAVING MY SPAGHETTI, DOES IT?"

Sans came to stand next to Papyrus. "how many other people know 'bout her?"

"As far as I know, the only people who've seen her so far are three Royal Guardsmen back at the Barrier, my parents, the River Person and some Snowdin residents."

"and how many puns did toriel teach her?"

Asriel chuckled. Papyrus glared.

"SANS! WOULD YOU STOP TRYING TO ENTICE THE HUMAN WITH YOUR PUNS AND LET ME AND THE KING DO THE EDUCATING!"

"i can't just leave all the educating to you two, can i? no offense, but neither of you know nearly as much about puns as i do."

"THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WORRIES ME!"

"In any case," the king intervened, "to answer your question, Mom didn't teach Frisk any puns. I think she wanted to wait with that."

"why? nobody's too young for puns," the short skeleton grinned.

"BUT ONE CAN BE TOO _OLD_ FOR PUNS! AND GIVEN THE FACT THAT YOU ARE OLDER THAN ME…" Papyrus froze.

Sans gave him an expectant grin. "yes?"

"UM…WELL…THAT MEANS THAT REALITY TRULY IS A WEIRD THING!"

"ya won't hear me disagree with that." The shorter skeleton winked. He then looked at Asriel again. "you guys wanna hang out at my house?"

The king looked down at Frisk again. "Frisk?"

The child hesitated.

Then, she nodded.


	4. At the house

**Rainbowhearthome:** _I have no plans of adding anything with the timeline happenings or other Humans (that includes Chara). This is going to be a family story, like you said, with the relationship between Frisk and Asriel at its center. Also, you're right about Sans, but his main hobbies are still sleeping and making puns. I just can't imagine him differently._

 **Sorry for the wait and the short chapter. I really wasn't sure what else to add.**

* * *

"Your house hasn't changed much," Asriel noted when he and Frisk walked through the door that led to the living room of Sans and Papyrus' house. The tall goat man himself had to crouch slightly to avoid contact between his horns and the doorway.

Sans held the door open for them. "eh. changing stuff is just so tiring. i already got my hands full with being a sentry."

"EXCEPT THAT YOU BARELY EVER DO YOUR JOB AS A SENTRY!" Papyrus – who came in last – objected.

Sans shrugged, walked over to the couch and lazily sat down. He turned his gaze to Asriel and the kid.

"feel free to take a seat somewhere," he said. "hope ya don't mind me just doin' the same."

The king gave a nod, right when Papyrus spoke up. "EY! HUMAN! HOW ABOUT I SHOW YOU MY ROOM? IT'S SUPER COOL!"

Frisk – who had inadvertently been made the center of attention in the room by the tall skeleton – hesitated. She looked up at her guardian, whose dark but kind eyes looked back questioningly.

The Human looked at Papyrus, who patiently waited for her answer.

"Um…" she shyly said. "O…okay…"

Papyrus' eyes lit up and his grin (seemingly) grew. "HUZZAH! FOLLOW ME, HUMAN! I WILL GUIDE YOU TO MY ROOM!"

Frisk looked up at Asriel again, who gave a nod and a smile. She turned her gaze back to Papyrus, just in time to see him climb the stairs at an amazing speed.

She finally let go of the king's hand and hesitantly walked up the stairs, frequently looking back to her adoptive father. She disappeared out of sight once she went through the doorway that connected Papyrus' room with the rest of the second floor.

Asriel then turned back to Sans. "She'll be okay, right?" he asked with sudden worry.

Sans gave him a grin. "please, azzy. ya know that paps never hurts a fly. even on accident."

The king sat down next to him on the couch. "Right. Sorry, I just…Frisk is…" He sighed.

"she's not used to the underground," the skeleton guessed.

"…yeah."

"rest assured, paps really _can_ help her integrate."

"I don't doubt that," Asriel said. "I really don't. I'm just…worried."

"about what?"

The king sighed. He looked at the turned-off television. "Her life on the Surface wasn't the best. Some events made her the anxious kid she now is."

"what kind of events?"

"I…would appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone. I don't even know if it's my place to tell you this."

"i won't tell anyone. you can trust me."

"Not even Papyrus. He's too nice, I'm afraid he'd be hurt – no, _devastated_ – to hear what happened to Frisk."

"not even paps."

"Alright…" Asriel paused. He then glanced at Sans. "I think her parents were abusive."

Sans blinked. His white pupils shrank. "…okay…didn't see that coming."

* * *

"AND HERE YOU HAVE ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS," Papyrus said as he showed the Human the book. " _ADVANCED PUZZLE CONSTRUCTION FOR CRITICAL MINDS_. OH, HOW I LOVE MAKING PUZZLES! ONE DAY, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A HUMAN SOLVE THEM! PERHAPS…YOU COULD LET MY DREAM COME TRUE!"

The child looked down and smiled shyly upon hearing that. "I…I'd like that…"

"AH, EXCELLENT! ARE WE IN AGREEMENT, THEN? ARE YOU WILLING TO TRY TO SOLVE SOME OF MY PUZZLES SOMEDAY?"

"Y…yes?"

"YES! YOU ARE SO COOL, HUMAN!"

Frisk giggled a bit. "Heh heh…um…thank you…sir…"

"THANK _YOU_ , HUMAN! AND PLEASE…CALL ME PAPYRUS. THE FORMALITIES WILL ONLY BE REQUIRED WHEN I RISE UP TO THE RANK OF ROYAL GUARDSMAN."

"Thank you…Mr. Papyrus…"

* * *

 **I NEED YOUR HELP! I'm going to let Frisk meet the main characters in the usual order, so Undyne is next. Thing is, since I'm so terrible at writing her, I have no idea how she would react to a shy little 'wimp' such as Frisk. Please give me some ideas.**

 **Thank you.**

 **~F**


	5. A visitor

**Dream1990:** _I'm glad!_

 **Coincidencless** & **MrAwesomeMatty:** _Thank you, your comments are helpful. I'll probably make Undyne more friendly (and maybe a bit calmer) than she is in the game (or at least try to, since I don't have much faith my 'writing Undyne'-skills). However, since she's still the leader of the Royal Guard and a passionate but not too professional cooking fanatic, some of her familiar characteristics will be preserved._

 **MESSAGE: Exam week imminent. It's the last, longest and most challenging one so far.**

* * *

"WHAT IS UP WITH YOU, BROTHER?!" Papyrus exclaimed as he smashed his hands on the table, startling the living daylights out of Sans – who had been carrying an unusually pensive look in his eyes – in the process.

"whoa, calm down, paps. no need to scare your bro like that."

"EXACTLY! AND I RARELY MANAGE TO SCARE YOU, FURTHER SUPPORTING MY SUSPICIONS THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG!"

"i'm being _bona_ fide, i assure you."

"I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SEE THE DAY THAT I'D BE RELIEVED TO HEAR A PUN FROM YOU, SANS." The taller skeleton ran a hand through his nonexistent hair. "BUT YOU MUST BE HONEST WITH ME. WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?"

"uh…nothin', just thinkin' 'bout the whole thing with the human, ya know." His grin widened a bit. "she seemed to like us."

"THAT SHE DID! DID I TELL YOU ABOUT HER PROMISE TO TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE THAT MY PUZZLES FORM ONE DAY?" Papyrus enthusiastically asked.

"heh. yeah, you did," Sans said, his grin still standing. He looked out the window, inadvertently regaining the pensive look. "you did…"

* * *

Asriel heard a shiver next to him that corresponded to the vibration he felt at his side. He looked over to see Frisk, who, despite the jacket the king had given to her, was evidently bothered by the low temperatures of Snowdin.

"Are you cold?" he asked. The Human nodded in response.

Asriel stopped, bent down and gently picked up the child. He held her close as he resumed walking, drawing even more attention than before from the surrounding Monsters. The looks the duo received were still curious, confused, nervous, scared or downright terrified, but Asriel didn't care. They were just going to have to get used to a Human presence in the Underground.

"Wh…where are we going?" Frisk asked, still shivering.

"We can go home, if you want," Asriel replied. "It's almost time for pie."

"Pie!"

The king smiled. "Yup. Pie."

He walked back to the River Person, who, fortunately, was still present. A few minutes later, the king and his adopted child were back at the castle, with the former quickly entering the kitchen, where the butterscotch-cinnamon pie was waiting.

* * *

"Wow, you're a quick eater," Asriel noted when he saw that Frisk's plate was already empty.

Frisk looked down as a response, a sad expression on her face. "I…is that bad?"

"No, of course not," the king said. "Why would it be bad?"

The child let out a sigh and closed her eyes. She seemed to hesitate, still not meeting Asriel's gaze. Eventually, she spoke again.

"I…I never…" She swallowed and slightly looked up. "I…I never had pie back home…"

"Your parents never made you any pie?" Asriel asked. Given what he already knew about the child's history on the Surface, he was hardly surprised.

Frisk shook her head, looking down again. "My parents…I…they…they were…"

Silence.

Then, she felt a gentle hand touch her shoulder. She looked up to see her guardian giving her a kind look.

"Hey," he gently said. "Remember what I told you before? I'll take care of you for as long as you need. I'm your friend and guardian, and that's not going to change. I'm here for you."

The Human remained silent, wrapped her hands around Asriel's one paw and held it close, burying her face in it.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for everything."

* * *

 **Afternoon**

After a while, Asriel reluctantly went to do more of the paperwork he received. It wasn't pleasant to get so many letters from half the Underground, especially if some messages hardly even concerned the king. But it was his job to rule, and he had accepted that.

He had felt a sting of guilt when Frisk proceeded to retreat to her bedroom. He knew that she needed someone to be around, since her parents hadn't been there for her. Fortunately, she understood Asriel's duty as a ruler, and had given him a hesitant but very real hug before departing. The king didn't know what she was currently doing, but felt it was best not to disturb her.

A knock at his doorway drew his attention away from the messages he was reading. He stood up and walked to said doorway to come face to face with Undyne, leader of the Royal Guard, impatiently tapping her foot on the ground as she waited. She seemed…upset?

"Hey, Undyne," Asriel greeted. "Something wrong?"

Undyne sighed. "Hi. And yes, there's something wrong. Can I talk to you for a bit?"

The king nodded. "Of course. Come in."

He guided her to the dining table, where she sat down on one of the chairs. Asriel went to sit on the chair across from her, giving her a questioning look. It didn't happen often that Undyne acted this…odd. She wasn't the calmest person he knew, but certainly one of the best, and he wasn't used to seeing her like this.

"You look tired," he noted.

"Hotland," Undyne replied. "Had to get through there on my way here. Hate that place. Been sweating like nobody's business."

"I'll get you some water," the king said before entering the kitchen, not giving Undyne a chance to protest. "You want some pie with it?"

"Wow, you _do_ sound like Toriel," the Royal Guard leader said.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Wait, no! I'm good-"

Undyne froze when she noticed something move to her right. She immediately looked over, her Royal Guard instincts becoming active, and came face to face with…

"What…the…"

There, in the doorway, a child stood. A Human child. Undyne never expected to ever see a Human at all, nor did she expect the rumors about its visit to Snowdin to be true. But there it was, watching her.

In spite of the obvious fear of most of the Underground's residents, however, this Human didn't appear dangerous in the slightest. If Undyne had to guess, it thought that _she_ was the danger. Its fearful eyes were watching her every move, its body seemed frozen as it practically hugged the side of the doorway.

Undyne came back to her senses a few seconds later, allowing her to realize that she wasn't sure what to do. The kid was scared of her, and probably hadn't heard much about the Royal Guard or its leader – or Monsters in general for that matter. But if the rumors about Snowdin were true, and Asriel really _did_ carry this kid around like it was his own daughter…

"Undyne?" Asriel asked as he returned with a glass of water and a slice of pie. "Undyne, what-"

It was when he followed her gaze that he saw Frisk, cowering in the doorway while cautiously keeping her eye on Undyne. The king's recently gained father instincts immediately kicked in, and he quickly put the food and water on the table before approaching the child.

"Hey…" he gently said. "It's okay, Frisk."

He carefully picked her up and held her close. Then, he turned back to Undyne.

"Undyne," he said, "meet Frisk. She arrived to the Underground a few days ago." He looked at Frisk. "Frisk, meet Undyne, the leader of the Royal Guard."

The silence that followed was almost immediately broken by the fish woman. "Uh…hey, kid," she awkwardly said. "You scared of somethin'?"

* * *

 **MESSAGE: If you're not happy with the way I wrote Undyne, I'd be happy to make some adjustments to this chapter. Tips on how to write her are always welcome, too.**

 **This chapter took way too long to make. I still wasn't sure how Undyne would initially react upon seeing Frisk, especially after hearing the rumors about what happened in Snowdin.**


	6. About rumors and panic

**I know this is starting to sound old, but sorry for the wait. Exam week, writer's block, not sure how to write Undyne, etc. etc..**

* * *

Getting acquainted with Frisk proved to be slightly more difficult for Undyne than it was to the Dreemurrs and the skelebros. Aside from being so shy, Frisk appeared to hold some kind of fear for the imposing Royal Guard leader. Initially, Asriel thought that that fear originated from Undyne being a Monster, but this was proven to only be half the truth: the skeleton brothers and even the king himself had earned the child's trust quite a bit quicker.

Asriel eventually concluded that this was because of Undyne's rank in the Royal Guard, her impressive strength or her eyepatch. Maybe it was all three. To his relief, however, the fish woman remained patient with Frisk, and was quick to shrug off the kid's reflexive flinching.

"Don't worry about it," she had grinned when Asriel mentioned it. "Who wouldn't feel threatened when facing _me_!"

Eventually, Frisk's flinching became less and less as the day went on. When it was time for another slice of pie, Undyne went to talk to Asriel in private as the Human child ate.

"The kid's got a strength," Undyne said. "Heh…she's a total wimp, but she's got a strength."

"You were a bit…freaked out when you came here today," the king said. "There's something wrong, isn't there?"

"Right," the Royal Guard leader responded. "It's actually kind of funny. Y'see, there's been a bit of a panic in Snowdin." She looked him straight in the eye. "Rumors of _you_ walking around with that kid."

Asriel blinked. "Panic? Why?"

"You mean aside from there being a Human in the Underground all of a sudden? Most people have never even seen a Human, and now their king is suddenly walking around with one."

"Right…" the king mumbled. "Maybe I should've told everyone about her."

"Can't say I disagree," Undyne dryly said. "I mean, the kid doesn't really look like a threat, but we all know what Humans are capable of. Child or not, they're scared of her."

"I guess I should've seen this coming," Asriel said. "Oh well. Too late for regrets."

"You mean you're going to announce it?"

"I don't see any other choice. I just hope…" He trailed off.

Undyne narrowed her eye. "You just hope…?"

The king sighed. "How do you think they'll react when I say that I've got a Human in my house? Keeping it silent was a mistake, but they'll still be…"

"…scared of her," the Royal Guard leader realized.

A brief silence fell.

Undyne shrugged. "Well…honestly, I don't think the kid would like it any more than the people. I mean, she doesn't seem like the type of person who'd want to be…feared."

"She's experienced quite a bit of fear herself," Asriel mentioned.

"What do you mean?"

"From what I gathered, her parents weren't the best people in the world."

"Why? What happened?"

The king sighed. He was about to tell Frisk's history to someone _again_. Sure, he wouldn't do it if he didn't trust Undyne, but he still didn't feel comfortable with it.

"It happened the very first morning after her day of arrival," he eventually said. "She was crying because of a bad dream she had. When I heard it, I went to her room to calm her down – only for her to get even more scared."

"Well, she was new there, wasn't she? She still had to get used to living among Monsters and whatnot."

"That wasn't the reason. You see, she was apparently used to…being punished for crying."

Undyne's eye widened as she started to understand.

"She said that her parents would hurt her whenever she cried," the king continued.

"What!"

"Keep your voice down a bit, will you? She's still right next to us."

"Those parents!" Undyne growled. "Those _scum_ call themselves parents!"

Asriel deeply hoped that Undyne's barely contained rage wouldn't scare the kid in the room right next to them. He kept an eye on the doorway to make sure that Frisk wouldn't be peeking around the corner and see the Royal Guard leader stomping the floor to bits.

"Seriously, why would they even _do_ that?" Undyne raged. " _Why_ would they hurt their own kid like that! If it weren't for that Barrier, I would personally pay a visit to those punks and see if they like being beat up all the time."

"Look, Undyne," Asriel calmly interrupted in an attempt to calm her down. "I agree with you. What Frisk's parents did is unacceptable. But Frisk is here now, and all we can do is make sure that her future will be better than her past. Her parents can't hurt her anymore. Now, she'll have to adjust to the Underground, and the Underground will have to adjust to her. It's our job to make sure that'll go without problems."

Undyne sighed bitterly, but nodded. Asriel understood her anger towards the two Humans that called themselves Frisk's parents, but he knew that, even if he could get to them, trying to get revenge in any way would only make things worse.

Fortunately, there was nothing to indicate that Frisk had heard the conversation between the two Monsters.

"You're right," Undyne eventually sighed, having calmed down a bit. She then got a determined look. "But I won't let them take her. If that Barrier ever falls, there's nothing to stop me from keeping that kid out of those people's house. I'd kick their asses if that's what it'd take."

The king nodded approvingly. "I can live with that."

* * *

For her entire life, Frisk believed that Monsters were evil. She used to be scared of them. She used to have nightmares about inhuman creatures creeping out of her closet or hiding under her bed at night. Those were the kind of nightmares that would indirectly cause one of her parents to bust into her room and give her a beating.

But she never dreamed of a benevolent, fuzzy goat man who gave her a place to stay. Nor did she know that Monsters had parents, but Asgore and Toriel were as real and friendly as Asriel himself.

Skeletons _did_ appear in her dreams a few times, but Sans and Papyrus' somewhat amusing behaviors had at least partially deterred her fears when she first saw them. Asriel's reassurance had helped as well. Her shyness was left unaffected, though.

While she couldn't remember having nightmares about fish women, there were some things about Undyne that frightened her. But even she turned out to be nice. She seemed a bit scary and behaved a bit differently from the Dreemurrs and the skeletons, but she was a good person.

This was slightly confusing for the Human child. She had always believed that Humans were good and Monsters were bad. But as she looked back on her experiences, it seemed to be the complete opposite. She had no doubt that there were still good Humans out there, but she was mostly surrounded by the malicious ones. At home _and_ at school.

When her abusive parents told her about how the treatment she received would prove to have a positive effect on her in the future, she didn't expect her future to include eating a delicious pie at the dining table of a lovable, furry Monster king. But she wouldn't want it any other way.

For the first time in her life, she felt safe.

For the first time, she had friends.

For the first time, she had a true guardian.


	7. Announcing the newcomer's arrival

**UPDATE: I've changed the ending of this chapter. It may be slightly shorter, but it will lead into chapter eight a bit better.**

* * *

 **The next morning – New Home**

"Welp," Asriel said to Frisk. "I think it's almost time to go and make the announcement."

Frisk stood right next to him, looking up at the tall Monster. Upon seeing how close she stood to the king, one might find it difficult to believe that she was scared of him mere days ago. Her fear had been completely removed in a matter of days, and now she regarded Asriel as the one who _repelled_ her fears and kept her safe.

The goat man looked down at the child, who looked back with a hint of nervousness. This did not go unnoticed by her guardian, who knelt down to her eye level and gently put his hands on her shoulders.

"Frisk," he softly said. "Again, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. If you don't like crowds or cameras, you can just stay here for a bit. I'd gladly ask my parents or the skeletons to keep you company."

The child shook her head. "N-no, I-I-I w-want to come with you. I-I can do this. J-just…stay close, please?"

Asriel gave a reassuring smile. "Sure thing."

* * *

Whenever the king had a public announcement to make, he'd do so from his castle's balcony. This was no different – except that he wasn't alone this time, and the audience he was about to address was larger than ever. Of course, rumors of a Human having entered the Underground were not to be ignored. They were just rumors, but still…

Asriel could easily see and hear the large group outside without standing on the balcony. Next to him stood Frisk, who kept clinging to the tall Monster. He looked down at her.

"You ready?" he asked. Frisk nodded in response.

And so, the two went through the door that lead to the balcony.

When they appeared, the crowd of Monsters became even noisier, yelling questions and expressing concerns. Frisk cringed at the loud sounds, but calmed down a bit when Asriel put his hands over her ears, effectively blocking out most of the noise. She looked up at him in gratitude.

When the screaming, shouting and yelling had finally died down, Asriel began to speak.

"Howdy," he greeted. He knew the Underground wasn't waiting for any kind of formal language, so he kept it simple – as if he was talking to a group of friends. "As you all know, there've been some rumors about a Human accompanying me in Snowdin." He looked at the Human in question again, to which the audience made some more sounds before falling silent.

"Now as you can see, those rumors are true," Asriel continued as he turned his gaze back to the crowd and put his hands on Frisk's shoulders. "This is Frisk. She arrived a few days ago."

The king couldn't help but feel a bit of frustration when the large group of Monsters burst out in yells and shouts once more. He understood how the audience felt, of course…but the prospect of being interrupted again and again until the very end of the speech wasn't pleasant. He quickly put his hands over Frisk's ears.

"I," Asriel called, causing the crowd to shut up, "have adopted the child. She's decided that she wants to stay here in the Underground, and I have taken it upon myself to raise her."

He waited for the crowd to start screaming again, but was pleasantly surprised when they remained quiet. He let his gaze glide over their faces. Some of them appeared shocked, others conflicted. Some people even seemed to like the child that stood at his side.

"Welp," he said, "I think that's all I really wanted to say. Have a good day, people."

Ignoring the noise that rose, he turned to the door and walked inside with Frisk next to him. He looked down at her and smiled.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked when they entered the living room.

The Human hesitated, but eventually shook her head. "Uh, n-no…"

Asriel stopped in his tracks. He knelt down to Frisk's eye level as he gently held her by the shoulders. He gave her a sympathetic look. "You don't like big audiences, do you?" he softly deduced.

Frisk looked down, shaking her head again in an almost ashamed way. Asriel was about to say that that was okay, that there was nothing to be embarrassed or afraid of.

He was interrupted by a third voice, one of a Royal Guardsman. "Your Majesty."

Asriel looked to his right, where the other Monster stood. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but the crowd outside refuses to disperse. Do you want me to send a group of guards, if only to be safe?"

"We should wait first," the king said. "They'll probably leave eventually."

The Royal Guardsman gave a nod. "Yes, Your Majesty." He then left.

Asriel looked at Frisk again, who gave him a slightly anxious look.

"Don't worry," Asriel reassured. "The audience is just…curious. They'll warm up to you. Just give it time. Oh, and while that's happening…" A grin appeared on his face. "There are some more people I'd like you to meet."


	8. The science of friendship

**UPDATE: The previous chapter has had its ending changed.** **This is mainly because I was afraid that the original ending was leaning more towards K+ rating, and I'd like to keep it K.**

 **Also, I'm sorry for the late and short chapter. I've recently been working very hard on the sequel for my other Undertale story.**

 _ **The End:**_ _(I apologize for not replying to your review in the last chapter.) Lol for a moment I thought there'd really been a misunderstanding! In any case, thank you for your support._

 _ **Namey:**_ _Your review means more to me than I can express in words. I needed some encouragement. You gave that to me, along with additional motivation. Thank you._

* * *

"As you might've noticed, high temperatures are one of Hotland's main characteristics – as well as one of its less popular ones," Asriel said in a voice that made him sound like a school teacher. "Aside from the magma and that enormous, obvious lab over there, Hotland is also known to house the spider bake sale, which many people tend to avoid for reasons unknown." He stopped walking and turned to Frisk, who had a large, amused smile on her face. "Any questions, class?"

The Human just giggled in response, causing Asriel to grin.

"Hey," the king said in his 'normal' voice, "you haven't gone to any school in the Underground so far, so giving you a lesson in geography seemed only right to me." He started walking again, with Frisk at his side. "Gaster would approve. Probably."

Frisk ran a hand through her sweaty hair, causing said hair to look even more unkempt. She didn't complain, though. At one moment, she even shyly expressed that she felt bad for Asriel, whose fur would likely hold a lot more warmth. Asriel had reassured her and said that he was used to the somewhat extreme temperatures in places like Snowdin and Hotland.

This was where he began to play teacher, attempting to tell Frisk what heat exactly was from a physicist's perspective. Somehow, this subject was changed to basic geography, which turned out to be a bit easier to explain to the young Human.

"Speaking of that lab," Asriel said, "that's the lab I was talking about before; the one where Dr. Gaster works with Dr. Alphys." He looked down at Frisk. "That reminds me – did I mention that Dr. Gaster is Sans and Papyrus' dad?"

Frisk looked up at him. "Y-yeah, you did. He's…nice, right?"

"That he is." The king paused before picking up his 'teacher voice' again. "Anyway class, Hotland is also known for…"

* * *

"W-wow…" Alphys stuttered. "A _real_ Human…"

"Indeed," Gaster agreed. His voice was calm and while it seemed to hold no real emotion, there was a certain friendliness to it.

"I-it… I mean, _she_ looks just like how most Humans are depicted," Alphys went on. "I-I wonder if she's able to use magic like those legendary, super powerful Human mages. M-maybe she'd be able to… I don't know…" She hesitated. "B-break the Barrier?"

Gaster looked at her. "Alphys. I can appreciate your enthusiasm for such subjects. But even if Frisk was able to wield magic, I doubt she would be able to break the Barrier."

"I-I know it's…unlikely, b-but…what if?"

"Even if she was powerful enough, she would require training before being able to wield her power properly. That training would likely be long and tedious. Not to mention, it would put a burden on her if she was expected to single-handedly free Monsterkind."

"Uh, r-right."

It was at that moment that the double door opened, revealing two figures on the other side. One of the figures was tall and imposing, while the other was small and timid.

The tall figure had the familiar shape of the king, who had to bend down a bit to look through the doorway. His dark eyes scanned the inside of the lab, and his large, furry hands were gently placed on the other figure's shoulders.

The other figure was less familiar, but both scientist recognized it as the Human who had been accepted into the royal family. She looked down a bit, not daring to meet the unfamiliar eyes.

Asriel gave a wave and a smile. "Howdy! Is this a bad time for a visit?"

"Not at all," Gaster said. "Please, do come in."

"Thanks." The king and the child made their way inside, with the former exhaling upon meeting the effects of the air conditioning.

"I do apologize," Gaster said. "Had I known that you would be visiting, I would have made preparations."

"Nonsense," Asriel said. "I should apologize for not telling you beforehand."

The skeleton gave a nod and turned to Alphys, who stood frozen, her widened eyes on the Human child.

Frisk shied away behind Asriel upon meeting Alphys' gaze. Asriel looked at the Human and gently put a hand on her head.

"Alphys," Gaster said.

Alphys flinched and snapped out of her trance. "H-huh?"

"Are you all right?"

"Uh, y-yeah." She looked at the king. "U-um, would y-you like s-something t-to drink?"

"Yes, please," Asriel said. "Some water would be nice." He looked down at Frisk. "Frisk?"

Frisk blushed and looked down. She whispered something.

Asriel knelt down to her level. "What?" he softly asked.

"W…water, please…" Frisk whispered.

* * *

"So…" Alphys said as she sat down on a chair. The others had taken their seats as well. "What's new? A-aside from t-the Human, I mean."

"Ah, not much, really," Asriel said. "Though I expect quite a bit of paperwork when I get home."

"Indeed," Gaster cut in. "The arrival of a Human is a very rare occurrence. The people will likely have countless questions."

The king briefly glanced to his right, where Frisk sat on her chair, timidly taking sips from the glass of water she was given. He saw Alphys looking at the Human as well – her eyes still a bit wide – but decided not to say anything about it.

Gaster took a brief look at Frisk before turning to Asriel again. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly caused Frisk to approach Mount Ebott in the first place?"

From the corner of his eye, Asriel saw the Human child tense up ever so slightly. He looked at Gaster and quietly shook his head. The Royal Scientist's eye sockets widened a bit, and he was just about to apologize when Frisk suddenly spoke.

She leaned towards the king and gently grabbed his lower arm. "Mom and Dad hurt me."

Alphys and Gaster froze. Asriel looked to Frisk and gently put his hand on the back of her head. She didn't flinch. The way she informed the scientists of what her parents had done to her was frighteningly calm, and that was likely what disturbed them the most.

She continued. "They said I needed to learn discipline. So, when I did something they didn't like, Dad would hit me and Mom would scream at me."

Alphys made a noise. Gaster and Asriel shared a look. There was silence.

"W-well…" Alphys eventually said. "That, um…" She trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Frisk leaned more towards Asriel, and somehow smiled. "But it's okay, because king Asriel takes care of me now."

That lightened up the atmosphere a bit, much to everyone's relief. Gaster gave a nod.

"I'm certain the king is a good guardian," the Royal Scientist said.

The Human nodded. "He's the _best_."


	9. First day at school

**MESSAGE: Any ideas for future chapters will receive a very warm welcome.**

 **Also, due to me working on other stories a lot, I'm afraid that updates for this one may become a bit rarer and more irregular than they already are. This story was always meant as more of a 'side story' – one that would never really have a definitive ending or a sophisticated plot.**

 **Oh yeah, I wasn't sure how I was going to strengthen the bond between Frisk and the scientists, so I didn't write anything else about the lab. Again, ideas are welcome.**

* * *

 **Morning**

Frisk was sluggishly heading towards the dining area, her stomach feeling empty and in desperate need of breakfast – which her guardian was currently making for her, as evidenced by the sounds that originated from the kitchen. When she arrived in the dining/living room, she went straight for the doorway to the kitchen and peeked around the corner to meet the king. Her eyes briefly widened upon seeing that something about his usual appearance had changed…

She quickly found out that that change was in his clothing. Instead of the long, majestic robe he usually wore, he had casual black pants and a green t-shirt with yellow stripes. A wisp of white fur – his tail – peeked out from behind his pants, and appeared to be wagging a bit every now and then.

Apparently sensing the Human's presence, Asriel looked over to Frisk. He gave a friendly smile when he saw her. "Howdy! How's everything going?"

"Uh, g-good," replied Frisk.

"That's good. You like scrambled eggs?"

"W-what?"

"Scrambled eggs? For breakfast? It's okay if you don't like them, of course."

"I-I like them!" the Human quickly said. "I do!"

"Alright. Go ahead and take a seat at the table, I'll be right with you."

Breakfast was finished quickly. After Asriel had brought the dishes to the kitchen, he went back to Frisk.

"So," he said, "What do you want to do? I don't think I'd be able to teach you anything else about geography, so…"

Frisk giggled. "Um… I-I don't know… Can I…learn more?"

Asriel was surprised to hear that. "About…geography?"

"About…um… _everything_ …"

The king blinked. "Uh, well… The only place I know is known to do that is school." He scratched his head. "Mom works there. She actually wanted to employ Dr. Alphys and Dr. Gaster at some point, but they're too busy being the Royal Scientists and all."

Frisk's eyes lit up. "Ms. Toriel can teach me things?"

Asriel smiled. "Yup. I mean, Dad's pretty smart, I guess… But Mom knows the most about school subjects." He raised an eyebrow. "You want to visit the Underground's best teacher?"

The Human nodded decisively. "Yes!"

"Well then, let's go!"

* * *

Reaching the Ruins – where the former king and queen resided – didn't take long. The presence of the ferry in the Underground tended to make things a lot easier and faster, and Asriel was grateful that it was there – even if the River Person seemed a bit of a shady figure.

Asriel knew that knocking on the Ruins' door wasn't going to do anything: behind it was a long hallway, which eventually ended in his parents' basement. His parents wouldn't hear anything if he tried knocking.

He opened the door, and he and Frisk took off their jackets once inside before closing the door behind them. The king then offered Frisk his hand – which she gladly took – and started walking with her through the hallway.

"You seem happy about something," Asriel noted. "Excited for your first real lessons in the Underground?"

Yet again, Frisk nodded and Asriel smiled.

The two rounded the corner up ahead and made their way up the stairs, entering Toriel and Asgore's house. Frisk gasped.

"Wow… It looks like our home," she said.

"New Home was based on Home. After we'd gone through Snowdin, Waterfalls and Hotland, we decided to make a new capital – and make it like the old one." The king shrugged. "Even the names are similar. Dad isn't too good with coming up with those."

Both Toriel and Asgore could be heard chuckling to that from the living room, which caused Frisk to let out a chuckle of her own.

Asriel immediately turned to the corresponding doorway. "No offense, Dad."

"None taken, Son," the former king replied. "Though, perhaps I should remind you of the name you had in mind for one of our flowers."

"Aw, that's not fair!" Asriel grinned, a minor shade of red briefly appearing on his furry face. "That was years ago!"

"True, but my naming the locations of the Underground preceded that, did it not?"

"Hehe… I guess," the king replied as he and Frisk entered the living room. Asgore was sitting at the table; Toriel had chosen her reading chair at the fire. "Hey, guys."

"Greetings, children!" greeted Toriel as she stood up. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"I'm glad it's a pleasant one," Asriel said as he gave his mother a hug. "I'd hate to barge in on you unwanted."

"Your visits are rarely ever unwanted, no matter if they are unexpected," Asgore voiced as he stood up. "Now, how are our children doing?"

"I'm doing okay. Frisk?"

Frisk nodded.

Asriel turned back to his parents. "And you guys? How're you doing?"

"I cannot complain," Asgore spoke.

"Neither can I," added Toriel. "Although your father still leaves snow everywhere in the house whenever he returns from a visit to Snowdin." She gave her husband a teasing smile.

"Whaaaaat?" Asriel grinned. "Dad, you still do snowball fights with the kids in and around Snowdin?"

Asgore smiled and scratched his head. "Indeed I do. I suppose bringing snow into the house is merely an inevitable side-effect."

"An inevitable side-effect, Gorey?" chuckled Toriel.

"Of course. I am certain that Dr. Gaster would agree with me."

"Sure," the king smirked. "Anyway, speaking of scientists, there's something Frisk and I would like to ask."

"What is it?"

"Well… I kinda told her that Mom's a teacher, and Frisk wants to learn things, so…" He shrugged.

Frisk smiled shyly. "I… C-can I learn? Please? Mrs. Toriel?"

Toriel gave a smile. "Of course you can, my child. You want to learn things now?"

"Y-yes please! Yes please!" the child enthusiastically said.

"Well then, come with me, child. I will be happy to teach you things. You may take a seat at the dinner table while I get the necessary books."

Asgore's expression turned confused. "Wait…" His gaze went from Frisk to Asriel and back. "You…actually _want_ to learn?"

Frisk nodded vigorously.

"As in…you _want_ to go to school?"

Again, Frisk nodded.

Toriel chuckled. "Gorey, one should be _encouraging_ children to enjoy school, not _question_ them about it."

Asriel rolled his eyes at that, remembering his own not-too-positive attitude towards school when he was younger. "Anyway, I guess Dad and I shouldn't be disturbing your lessons." He looked at his father. "Why don't we take a walk?"

"I have not been to Snowdin for a few days," Asgore said. "If you feel up to it, we could pay a visit to the town."

"Sure. Sounds good." The king looked at Frisk. "I'll be seeing ya later, kid."

"B-bye," Frisk said.

Asriel gave one last wave before leaving the room with his parents. Toriel immediately went to another part of the house to get some schoolbooks, while Asriel and Asgore decided to take a stroll in Snowdin.

* * *

 **Fun fact: before I started this story, I actually had a bit of a darker plot in mind…**

 **Just thought I'd share that. Dunno why. Just forget I said it. Or not. Your choice.**


	10. Discussions

"I can hardly remember the last time I met a child who was _excited_ to learn things," mused Asgore as he and Asriel walked on the path that lay beyond the Ruins' door, approaching Snowdin Town. "Why would she want to go to school?"

Asriel grinned. "Well, she liked _me_ as a teacher." When his father gave him an inquisitive look, he explained. "When I took her to meet the Royal Scientists, she got curious about what heat exactly was when we reached Hotland… So I tried to tell her. Somehow, I ended up teaching her about the Underground's geography."

That made Asgore chuckle. "So she decided that she wished to learn more," he guessed. Asriel nodded.

"That she did," the king replied. "She told me this morning that she wanted to learn about…well, everything, really. And since Mom's a teacher, I thought it'd be a good opportunity." He suddenly gave his father a guilty look. "Mom doesn't mind, does she?"

"No, of course not. She loves teaching and she loves Frisk."

"What about you?"

"Me? Of course I do not mind. A morning stroll in Snowdin can be surprisingly refreshing – and I am more than happy to take such a stroll. Besides, an education is part of one's development, and I would not dare stand in the way of that." He tilted his head a bit. "I merely wonder… Why not take her to a public school?"

Asriel remained silent at first. Then, he sighed. "I'm…scared. It hasn't been long since Frisk entered the Underground. It _definitely_ hasn't been long since the Underground knows about her." He paused. "The Humans of old trapped us in here, and you know how that made them…unpopular. Even now, some Monsters downright _despise_ Humanity. So I'm scared… What if the kids at school will bully Frisk because she's Human? Or worse…" He fell silent, not wanting to think about what a desperate Monster might do if they saw the opportunity to obtain a Human Soul.

"I see." Asgore briefly looked at the ground. "Especially since Frisk has already had to endure so much… I understand your fear." He paused. "But I know that your mother would never take her eyes off the child. She would never allow anyone to bully Frisk."

"I know," Asriel sighed. "But what if… What if that's not enough? What if someone'll do something when Mom's not looking?"

"I am certain that Toriel will ensure that that someone would never do such a thing again."

"No offense, Dad, But I don't think you understand. It's not that I don't trust Mom. What if someone were to target Frisk without Mom's knowledge?" The king sighed once more. "Frisk is fragile. I'm afraid that a bully will scare her into submission and force her to shut up about it."

That was something Asgore couldn't find a good answer to. Of course, few people would be able to. Reassuring a parent who fears for their child wasn't always easy, and the fact that Asriel's child was Human didn't help.

Truthfully, Asgore and Toriel themselves had been a bit scared for their son when he went to school for the first time. Not only was Asriel a Boss Monster, he was a royal. His parents were terrified that other Monsters would either be too submissive and too afraid to be friends with him, or bully him because he was…slightly different.

But a _Human_? A Human would be at greater risk than even a Boss Monster royal. Instead of being submissive, some Monsters would be _scared_ of her powerful Soul. Others would tyrannize her because of what her race had done in the past.

"Uh… I-I see," Asgore stammered. "I suppose we will have to increase security at school."

"You sure that's enough? I mean, it'll probably work in most cases, but…" He trailed off.

"Education is an important part of a child's upbringing, as is the creation of friendships. I have met several Monsters in Toriel's class, and I find it difficult to believe that any of them will show any malevolence towards Frisk. Even if she is Human, she can have a life in the Underground. A life that she could not have on the Surface…"

"True." Asriel paused. "But if anything happens to her…"

"Tori will ensure that Frisk will be fine."

"… I know."

* * *

Frisk's eagerness to learn wasn't just surprising to Toriel; after having met so many reluctant students, the Human's calm enthusiasm was…refreshing to the former queen. Frisk never yelled, never interrupted her, never expressed any sort of unwillingness to be where she was. Frisk remained quiet, absorbed the knowledge Toriel put in front of her, wrote notes about what was important and looked at her books and her teacher with interest and curiosity.

"Are all Humans so eager to learn?" she had asked at some point.

In response, Frisk had said, "I…don't think so… I-I like school, but I heard from others that school isn't fun. I…" Her face reddened a bit. "I…liked it more than what I learned at home…"

Toriel had felt a sting at that. She was aware of what Frisk had had to endure on the Surface. Her parents' 'lessons'… And the Underground's students thought that the lessons at school were bad.

Eventually, Asgore's voice hollered from the basement, followed by Asriel's half a second later. The two entered the living room shortly after, causing Frisk and Toriel to look up.

Asriel looked at them. "'Sup? How're the lessons going?"

"Good!" replied Toriel. "Frisk is very intelligent. I would love to teach her more often."

"Yay!" exclaimed Frisk.

Asriel looked at her and nodded approvingly. "I'm assuming you've been good?"

"She's been very good," Toriel confirmed. "Unlike most of my students, she actually listens to me when I tell her about how physics work."

"You taught her about physics?!" exclaimed Asgore and Asriel at the same time, causing the teacher and her student to let out a few chuckles.

"Indeed," the former queen said. "I was hesitant at first, but she was so curious…" She grinned.

"Huh…" Asriel looked at Frisk, who was smiling shyly. "So, uh, you found out what heat is?"

"N…not yet…" Frisk said. "I-I mostly learned the…the basics."

"I have also taught her some things about mathematics," Toriel said. She looked at Frisk with pride. "She is a quick learner."

Asgore and his son stood there for a second, completely silent, their mouths open. Then, the former turned to the latter. "How long have we been away, exactly?"

Asriel shrugged in response.

* * *

After having stored away the schoolbooks, Toriel was about to sit down at the table with Asgore and Frisk – only to be interrupted by Asriel, who requested to talk to her in private. He led her to the house's entrance hall, where he kept an eye on the doorway to the living/dining room as he spoke with his mother to ensure that Frisk wouldn't be eavesdropping. Of course, he didn't expect her to, but this was something he didn't want to risk getting overheard.

"What is wrong, Asriel?" Toriel asked. Her eyes displayed worry.

Asriel took one last glance at the doorway to the living room before looking at Toriel. "Dad and I had a conversation back in Snowdin just now," he whispered. "It involved a possible plan of sending Frisk to a public school."

The former queen's eyes widened. "Sending Frisk…to a public school? My school?" She showed a small, somewhat doubtful smile. "I-I would love to see her there, but…" She hesitated and lowered her voice. "I have no idea how the other students would react."

"That's what I was afraid of. Her being Human might scare the other students, and she herself can become a victim of bullying." The king scratched his head. "Or maybe that's just focusing too much on one side of the coin."

"It is always good to be prepared for the worst," Toriel quickly said. "Of course, I would do everything in my power to prevent the worst from happening."

"I know." He paused. When he spoke again, his voice was even lower than it had been before. Even Toriel had some trouble hearing what he said. "Mom, I'll be honest. I'm even more scared of what'll happen if a Monster sees an opportunity."

The king's mother tilted her head. "What sort of opportunity?"

Asriel hesitated. "Well… You know what'll happen if a Monster absorbs a Human Soul?"

Toriel froze when upon hearing that. Her eyes widened. "Asriel…"

"I know that sounds like I'm exaggerating, but I can't help it. If a Monster manages to…to take Frisk's Soul…it's all over. For Frisk and whoever else they target and…everything in-between." He bowed his head.

Toriel put her hands on her son's shoulders, causing him to look up again. "It will be all right, Asriel," she softly reassured. "We will have multiple people watch over her, myself included. People we can trust."

The king sighed.

"I will ensure her safety," Toriel continued. "If you wish, you could watch over her yourself. You are always welcome at my school."

Asriel looked at her and gave a small smile. "Thanks, Mom." He hesitated. "I'll see what Frisk's opinion is first, though."

* * *

 **Evening**

A large part of Frisk was overjoyed: tomorrow, she was going to go to a public school! She was going to meet more people, and the lessons were always going to be fun with Mrs. Toriel as teacher.

Another part was nervous: what were the other kids going to think of her? She was young, but she knew that she was different from the other people in the Underground. She hadn't been very popular on the Surface, so why would she be popular here?

Fortunately, her guardian was going to stay at her school for at least the first few days. With both king Asriel and Mrs. Toriel watching her, what could possibly go wrong?

* * *

 **Next chapter will (in all likelihood) involve Frisk actually going to school.**


	11. Lessons

**MESSAGE: Because of college, writing is going to be even harder now. Next chapters are probably going to take forever (as in, even longer) because of this.**

 **Also, like before, ideas are welcome.**

* * *

The part where Frisk had to get up early wasn't too difficult for the young Human. As per usual, Asriel – who had changed back to his regular royal outfit – made her breakfast, after which he took her outside. It was a normal morning for the both of them… Except that it wasn't.

From the moment she woke up, Frisk had been feeling nervous. That nervousness only increased as the morning progressed and the time for school approached. Even Asriel's comforting words weren't enough to put her mind to rest. It was so bad that she'd started shaking on the way to the school building. She didn't cry or whimper, though, which was…something, at least.

No, the whimpering started when the school building entered her view and she saw several Monster children walking towards it. Parents were also around, but they themselves didn't enter the building, instead talking amongst themselves while their kids made their ways to the front door.

Asriel's gaze immediately turned to Frisk when she made a noise, and he crouched down to her level. "Frisk…"

"I-I'm okay!" Frisk squeaked. She didn't sound very convincing. "Just… Just…"

Asriel gently put his furry hand on the back of her head and looked her straight in the eye with an encouraging smile. "I'll be right next to you the entire time."

The Human bowed her head in response. "T-thank you…"

"Hey…that's what I'm your guardian for, right?" He stood up and offered her his hand, which she took. "C'mon. Let's go meet Mrs. Toriel."

Frisk remained completely silent as she and Asriel approached the front door. Asriel saw several Monsters react to seeing the Human next to him; some kids froze up, others pointed excitedly. Most of the parents just froze up.

Frisk let her head hang, glancing from side to side and immediately looking down whenever she inadvertently made eye contact with someone. As could be expected, she stayed close to Asriel.

As they walked through the halls of the school, more glances, gasps, and shocked faces could be seen and heard, making Frisk all the more nervous. Asriel almost felt himself get angry at the other children, who didn't seem to care what their reactions might do to _his_ child…but he knew that his anger wouldn't be justified. He could understand why those kids reacted the way they did. He doubted he'd do anything different if he were in their position.

The two went straight to the classroom where the king knew his mother was. When they entered the room, Toriel looked up from her desk, rose from her seat and made her way towards them.

"Mrs. Toriel!" greeted Frisk, relieved.

"Hello, my children," Toriel said. "What brings you to the classroom so early? You two are the only ones here at the moment."

The Human bowed her head. "I-I was s-scared…"

"Scared? Why, dear child? There is nothing to be scared of."

"I…think the other kids made her a bit nervous," Asriel hesitantly cut in. Frisk nodded.

"T-they keep looking at me…" Frisk said, sounding a bit ashamed. "I-I think…t-they're scared of me…"

Toriel sighed and put a gentle hand on the child's shoulder. Frisk didn't flinch, much to the teacher's relief. "My child…" She hesitated. "Perhaps you should…take a seat."

Frisk did so, and sat down at one of the small tables in the back corner of the classroom. Toriel kneeled down next to her and looked her in the eye.

"Frisk…" she said. "Do you know… _why_ they look at you like that?"

The Human was caught a bit off-guard by the question. Asriel was too, but he remained silent. Toriel knew what she was doing.

Frisk swallowed. "Because… I'm Human…right?"

Both Boss Monsters felt a slight sense of surprise. They didn't expect the child to actually answer. Of course, she could be expected to know that the people around her weren't Human, but how did she know that Monsters were scared of Humans? Did she know the difference in power between the two types of Souls? Or was it just logical thinking, knowing that some people were scared of those who were…different?

"Correct," Toriel slowly said after a brief silence. "You are a Human… Among Monsters. But the other children will get used to you in time. Until then, you have us to guard you." She gestured to Asriel and herself.

Frisk hesitated. "W-what if they don't?"

"They will. I promise you that." She paused, and was just about to say something else when the door opened, drawing the attention of the trio. Inside walked a Monster with two legs, arms and horns that were attached to a head. Its facial features consisted of a large eye above a row of teeth. It froze when it noticed Frisk and the Dreemurrs, and its eye narrowed at the Human.

Toriel's face hardened a bit as she stood up. "Loox Eyewalker," she said. "Can I help you in any way?"

The Monster – whose name was apparently Loox – looked at her and shrugged. "Nah, ma'am. I'm just wondering why there's a Human in here." He lazily went to sit at one of the tables, keeping his eye on Frisk the whole time.

"You didn't get the news?" Asriel asked. He tried to keep his voice neutral, but Loox didn't seem to be putting much effort in making a good first impression. "This here's Frisk. She's my daughter."

The way that last word automatically left his throat almost made him flinch. His daughter… So far, he'd only referred to himself as 'Frisk's guardian' – but he couldn't recall ever calling Frisk his daughter. It felt…odd to say it. But not bad.

"YO!" another voice from the doorway suddenly exclaimed, making Frisk jump. "A Human in class? That's so _cool_!"

The trio once again looked over to see a yellow, reptilian Monster enter the classroom. They appeared to lack arms, but, judging from their enthusiastic grin, this didn't seem to bother them.

"Yo!" they said to Frisk. "You're the same Human as the one on tv, right? That's so cool! I can't believe you live with the king – that's even cooler! Dude—"

"MK, dear," Toriel gently interrupted, "are the other children coming? It is almost time to begin."

"Uh…" MK glanced at the doorway. "Yup! I can see them coming, Mrs. Toriel!"

"That is good," Toriel said. She turned back to Frisk, who looked even more nervous than before. "Do not fear, child," she whispered. "Asriel and I will be in the room the whole time."

With those words, she gave the child a pet on the head before going back to her desk. Even before she reached it, more Monster children entered the room, talking amongst themselves. Some froze up when they saw Frisk and the king, causing several others to do the same. Frisk just looked down at her desk, unable to meet their gazes.

"Go to your seats," Toriel ordered. Some Monsters awoke from their trance and did as she said, constantly keeping their eyes on Frisk. Others took their time, but they eventually reached their seats as well. It was completely quiet – something that could hardly be expected from a class full of young students.

"So…" Toriel spoke once everyone had sat down. "As you all have noticed, we have a new student." Sounds of affirmation echoed throughout the classroom. Frisk looked down again when a few Monsters looked her way.

A voice from somewhere in the classroom spoke up. "Um… Mrs. Toriel? The new student is…um…kind of…Human?"

"So?" responded MK enthusiastically. "That's so _cool_!"

"Shut up, MK," Loox grumbled. "You really don't know what's—"

"Silence!" Toriel sternly exclaimed. "I am aware that our new student is Human. That does not matter. If anyone wishes to make a complaint about this, you will come to me." She paused. "Now, to begin the day…"

The next few hours involved a teacher, several uninterested Monster children, one fascinated Human, and one king who had two concerns on his mind: the accumulating paperwork on his desk and the well-being of his adopted child.

Of course, the latter concern was more important than the former.

Asriel tried not to look too stern, but his gaze still discouraged any students that looked over their shoulder to the Human next to him. He himself soon grabbed a chair and took a seat a little bit behind Frisk, listening to Toriel's talk about elementary school subjects with half an ear as nostalgia began to set in. He remembered going to school himself quite well…

Something in the corner of his eye moved. He turned his gaze to it, revealing MK – who was sitting a few meters next to Frisk – trying to lean closer to the Human and draw her attention. Frisk hadn't noticed it yet, making MK lean even more out of their chair. Asriel was just about to stop them when the reptilian Monster suddenly lost their balance completely and fell out of their seat, landing on the side of their face with an audible _thud_.

Asriel's eyes widened as he quickly stood up, walked over to MK and helped them stand up. Despite the fall, MK's grin hadn't left their face.

"Sorry," they apologized with a chuckle. "I fell out of my chair."

"Are you all right, dear?" Toriel worriedly asked.

"I'm okay, Mrs. Toriel," MK responded, still grinning. "This happens to me all the time."

Asriel blinked to that. This kid was so used to falling on their face that they hardly seemed to notice it anymore…? Of course, without arms to balance them or break their fall, that wasn't too surprising…

 _Poor kid, though_ Asriel thought as he and the reptilian Monster sat down on their respective chairs, followed by Toriel resuming her lessons. _To constantly fall on your face without any means to soften the impact… That doesn't sound pleasant to me._

* * *

It didn't take long before break time came along, to which the Monster children made their ways to the playground outside. Frisk hesitated, not sure what to do, and eventually chose to stand up and turn to Asriel behind her. The king rose from his seat as well and closed the distance between him and his child with a single step.

Frisk immediately clung to her guardian's hand as he kneeled down before her and gave a grin. "So…" he said. "How'd you like the lessons?"

"They were really interesting…" Frisk replied. "Even though they weren't about physics…"

Asriel chuckled to that. "Yeah, well…I don't think a lot of kids are as interested in physics and math and whatnot as you are."

The child looked at him with questioning eyes. "Why not?" she asked, sounding genuinely confused.

Asriel scratched his head. "Ah, well, you know how it is: everyone has their hobbies. Yours seems to have something to do with learning, while those other students probably like sitting behind their computer all day." He gave a humorous grin. "I wouldn't know about that. I was always a hard-working student myself."

Toriel let out a chuckle. "Really, Asriel? I did not know that your homework consisted of playing so many games."

They all laughed to that, after which Asriel stood up again. "Come on, let's go outside. I'll stay close to you," he added upon seeing Frisk's expression turn nervous again. "And Mrs. Toriel will watch over the playground. She'll keep an eye on you, too."

Frisk hesitated, but soon came to a decision.

* * *

Not long after that, Frisk was sitting between Toriel and Asriel on the wooden bench outside, where the teachers usually sat while watching over the playing children. Obviously, the Human was still scared, and Asriel couldn't really blame her for that. He himself had been guilty of fearing for Frisk's life, after all. His fear may have diminished, but it was far from gone. Something told him that that may be for the best.

He inaudibly sighed. _Am I really that scared? Thinking that some kid or teacher here is going to take Frisk's Soul. I really hope I'm just being paranoid…_

He was removed from his thoughts when he noticed a Monster approach the bench. MK fearlessly walked up to the trio, their amiable grin still on their face and their gaze aimed at Frisk, who backed up a bit. Toriel eyed the Monster child, but didn't seem worried.

When MK was close, they began to speak. "Yo," they said to the Human. "How are ya?"

Frisk hesitated, but then muttered an "Okay" as a response. Asriel and Toriel remained silent, though they both decided to stay close to the conversation.

"Cool," MK replied. "So, uh, how much do you know about the Underground already? It must be weird to be here all of a sudden after living on the Surface for so long." Their grin grew. "Have you met Undyne yet? She's the coolest Monster in the Underground!"

Frisk blinked upon hearing the familiar name. After a second of silence, she nodded, her shyness melting away ever so slightly. "I-I do know Undyne. S-she came to visit…"

"Wa-wait," MK said, "so you actually _talked_ with Undyne? That's so _awesome_! Man, I wish I could talk with her!"

The Human couldn't help but let out a few timid giggles as MK rambled on about how awesome Undyne was and how badly they wanted to actually meet her in person, yet how they didn't want to bother her when she was doing her job, et cetera. Frisk hesitantly added her own words to the conversation at times, and quickly found that she'd taken a liking to this Monster kid. Their energetic yet innocent attitude reminded her of Papyrus.

Before the both of them knew it, it was time to resume lessons, and the children on the playground soon accumulated near the front door. It took a while before everyone was inside, after which Toriel continued her lessons and Asriel sat down in his usual spot just behind Frisk in the very back of the classroom.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quite quickly. Before Frisk knew it, the lessons were done, and the students around her were getting up to go home. MK gave one last nod and grin of goodbye to her before they, too, went for the door.

Frisk herself remained seated, waiting until the other children had left. Only then did she rise from her seat and turn to her adoptive father, who offered his furry hand for her to take. She eagerly did so, to which Asriel gave a smile.

Before they left, Toriel approached the two. She looked at Frisk with a smile of her own. "And how do you like it here so far, child?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

"I liked it a lot," Frisk replied.

Toriel's smile grew as a response. "I am so glad to hear that. I feared that you may have found it mundane, seeing how mathematics was not one of the subjects we discussed."

"Hmmm," Frisk mumbled as she pressed her cheek against the back of Asriel's hand.

Asriel looked down at her. "I think Frisk's a bit tired, Mom."

Frisk timidly nodded to that.

The king grinned. He then bent down and lifted Frisk into the air, earning a surprised yelp and a few fond giggles from the Human child. Still grinning, Asriel looked at his mother. "We should probably go home," he said.

Toriel gave another smile. "Hehe. I suppose I should not keep you, then."

* * *

 **Not the best chapter, I know. Writing seems to be becoming more difficult for me lately – and not simply because time is hard to come by. Blocks and high caffeine tolerance…are not a good combination for this kind of thing.**


	12. Where the stars shine

**So…this took a while.**

 **The worst part is that, when I was almost done, something happened that caused the original file to be deleted—forcing me to restart this chapter from scratch. I replicated it from memory as best as I could, so its plot is pretty much the same.**

* * *

Asriel was walking to the throne room, remembering the promise he made to his father.

Upon receiving the title of king from Asgore, Asriel had also been given the request to care for the garden in the throne room. Asriel, of course, had accepted; that garden held many fond memories for him. He just couldn't refuse. Besides, he quite enjoyed putting his gardening skills to the test.

Upon reaching the garden, Asriel's attention was drawn by a figure sitting on the ground under a ray of sunlight. The figure turned out to be Frisk. The Human's gaze was aimed at the sun, whose light shone through a hole in the ceiling.

Surprised to see the child here, Asriel briefly frowned. "Frisk?" he asked.

The Human turned to him, quickly standing up when she saw him.

Asriel walked up to her. "Frisk? What are you doing here?"

"… Nothing," Frisk mumbled. "Just…looking at the sun…"

"Ah. I see." Upon seeing Frisk's downcast eyes, Asriel frowned again. "Are you okay…?"

She quickly nodded. "Yes."

He looked at her. He then looked to the hole in the ceiling, the bright sunlight that shone through it forming a ray of light that reached down to the ground. Something in Asriel's head felt…off. As if there was a glaringly obvious problem here that he couldn't see. Or an equation that he couldn't solve.

He almost rolled his eyes at himself. _Comparing a situation with an equation is supposed to be Dr. Gaster's way of thinking, not mine._

"You want to help me with the garden?" he finally asked. "I can teach you how to take care of plants, if you want."

Frisk briefly perked up, but she ultimately shook her head. "No, thank you…" She glanced back at the ray of sunlight.

That glance, brief as it was, turned out to be enough to make Asriel realize what was going on. His eyes suddenly widened a bit. How had he been so blind?

"You miss the sun, don't you?" Asriel almost whispered.

Frisk hesitated, then nodded.

"You miss a lot of things from the Surface," Asriel continued, "and now you can't even see the sun." He paused. "I-I'm sorry, Frisk. I should've realized that."

"It's okay," the Human quickly said. "It's not your fault."

* * *

Following Frisk's departure from the throne room, the whole matter with the sun continued to haunt Asriel, even as he worked in the garden. So far, he'd been trying his best to help Frisk whenever she seemed down or sad in some way. But how was he going to help her now? Monsterkind had been wishing for a better view of the sun since they got sealed underground, and neither Asgore nor Asriel had been able to provide that.

What to do…

"'sup, king."

Asriel turned to the voice. Sans stood there with his hands in his pockets, returning Asriel's gaze.

Asriel gave a nod, before turning back to his work. "Hey, Sans. How're you doing?" He smirked. "You forgot to knock again?"

Sans chuckled. "eh, knocking ain't my thing."

"Heh…"

The silence that followed made Sans frown. Of course, only his eyes were affected by that; his permanent grin remained. "is everything alright, az? you look a little troubled."

Asriel sighed, rising from his kneeling position. He turned to Sans again. "Yeah…things have happened."

"man…i heard about how paperwork can drive people crazy, but i didn't expect it to be that bad."

"You're just too good at reading people's expressions."

Sans shrugged modestly. "eh, you know." He turned serious again. "there's more to it, isn't there?"

"What can you see?" Asriel asked.

Sans narrowed his eyes a bit in concentration, holding Asriel's gaze. "that…that there's the expression of someone who feels…powerless, in a way. nothing too horrible, but it certainly ain't too pleasant, either."

Asriel wasn't surprised to hear how close Sans was to the truth. Sans wasn't the most active person in the world, but no one in the Underground was as skilled at reading people's expressions as he was. "Well," Asriel said, "you're not wrong."

"what's going on?"

The king sighed. "It's…about Frisk's life on the Surface. Kind of."

"is that so?" Something flashed behind Sans' eyes, particularly his left one. "not to worry, az. if those parents of hers were to somehow reach the underground, there'll be a pretty bad time waiting for 'em before they can even get close to the kid."

"I know that," Asriel calmly said. "But that's not what I meant."

Sans blinked, the dark atmosphere that had started gathering around him dissipating. "oh…okay then, what _is_ goin' on?"

"She misses the sun." At least the explanation was simple enough.

"…right. that's a problem." Sans frowned pensively. "she probably misses more things from the surface. probably not those parents, but what about…"

Asriel didn't interfere as the skeleton continued mumbling. He knew that Sans was just thinking out loud. He did that sometimes, apparently to make sure people understood his reasoning when he came up with a solution. It was a trait he'd received from Gaster.

"…the stars," Sans eventually said. He briefly froze, then looked at Asriel again. "i think i just got an idea."

Asriel perked up. "What is it?"

"well, you know how evidence suggests that the sun is really a star?"

Asriel nodded, remembering how Wingdings Gaster brought that up at some point in time.

"what if she likes the stars, too? we can't help her with the sun, but stars are a completely different story."

"How? We don't have—" Asriel stopped himself mid-sentence.

"maybe it's not the real thing," Sans admitted, "but it might help anyway. waterfall's a pretty good-lookin' place. might just be enough to make the kid happy."

"You're a genius," Asriel said. "Thank you, Sans. You really helped me out."

"don't thank me yet. see if this works, first." Sans shrugged. "still…you're welcome."

* * *

 **Not too long after**

"Where are we going?" Frisk asked.

Asriel gave a brief smile as he and Frisk continued walking. "You remember Undyne?" the king asked. "Waterfall—the part of the Underground where she lives—is a pretty cool place. You see, we might not have a good view of the stars, down here, but Waterfall does have…similar things."

He glanced down at Frisk, who suddenly looked quite excited. Asriel suppressed a grin.

Reaching Waterfall didn't take very long. Once there, Frisk became notably intrigued by her surroundings. Her gaze was constantly drawn by the gems in the walls, glowing mushrooms, Echo Flowers and, of course, the waterfalls. The duo briefly encountered Sans at some point, who greeted them with a nod.

Eventually, they reached the place Asriel had wanted to go to: an enormous cavern with luminous gems—which were allegedly similar to stars—on the high ceiling. The enormous floating castle in the distance added to the already impressive view and gave the place a more fantasy-like vibe.

Asriel looked down at Frisk, once again smiling a bit as he saw her amazed expression. Frisk's eyes went from the stars to the castle, as if she couldn't decide which was the better part of the view.

"Whoa…" Frisk whispered.

"Do they look like the stars on the Surface?" Asriel asked.

"They look…really pretty." She paused. "But…how? Stars…"

"Well…" Asriel scratched his head. "Like I said, these aren't real stars. Really, they're basically glowing gemstones on the ceiling."

Much to the king's relief, Frisk didn't seem bothered by that answer. She simply kept looking at the specks of light on the ceiling. She looked mesmerized. Asriel himself had always liked coming here, and he had a feeling that Frisk might eventually develop a similar sentiment.

They stayed there for a while, until Frisk timidly revealed that she was hungry. The duo made their way back to New Home after that, once again passing Sans.

The skeleton gave them another nod of greeting, and Asriel gave him a brief glance of gratitude in return. In response, Sans saluted in a quick and quiet, yet lazy way.

Bringing the sun to the Underground was impossible indeed. But, as it turned out, it wasn't exactly necessary, either.


	13. Sick day

**_Danvseveryone:_** _True, but at least they're all in it together. They value family over seeing the sun._

 _ **Dream1990:**_ _I'm glad to hear that._

* * *

 **Evening**

"What would you have me do…" Asriel tiredly sighed, rubbing his temple with his hand. "Tell Dr. Gaster to do research on _my kid_ because it may or may not help with his research concerning the Barrier?"

 _"_ _Well, we know that the Barrier needs the power of seven Human Souls in order to break, right?"_ the citizen said through the phone. _"That's the theory, at least. Of course no one wants to take your child's Soul, Your Majesty—I'm just saying that examining it might help in some way. The sooner we get out of the Underground, the better."_

"Yes, I agree with that, but even if Dr. Gaster has the means to do that kind of research on Frisk's Soul, we don't know if there are any undesirable side-effects it might have on her." For the tenth time, Asriel glanced at the doorway to the garden, making sure Frisk wasn't listening in. "I trust Dr. Gaster, and I trust Dr. Alphys, but I'm not going to take any risks."

 _"_ _Of course, Your Majesty,"_ the voice said after a brief silence. They sounded a bit regretful. _"I'm sorry to have bothered you."_

"It's fine," Asriel said. "Anyway, I hate to be rude, but I've got some paperwork to deal with, so…"

 _"_ _Of course."_

As the citizen hung up, Asriel let out another sigh. He'd received countless letters concerning the very subject he just talked about, and numerous calls had also been made. Most people were obviously still not completely used to Frisk's presence. And as benevolent as everyone's intentions were, it almost seemed as if Frisk was regarded as a tool to be used, rather than an inhabitant of the Underground.

This frustrated Asriel to no end, but he couldn't do anything about it today; the hour was growing late, and more letters needed to be answered. He would have to make a public statement sometime in the next few days.

 _For how long have I been king, now?_ he suddenly wondered. _Not very long…yet it already feels like decades. I really need a vacation._

He eventually went back to the living room. Frisk went to sleep not long after that. Asriel wished he could do the same, but doing so wouldn't exactly make the mountain of paperwork he had shrink, so he reluctantly sat down at the dining table and continued working.

* * *

Asriel woke up.

He opened one eye. The environment he saw made him lift his head a little, blinking his other eye open as well. His arms were before him on the table, forming a makeshift pillow.

He grunted. He'd fallen asleep in the dining room, somehow.

He eventually stood up. _I need a vacation._

He soon proceeded to prepare some breakfast. Once he left the kitchen, he noticed that Frisk hadn't shown up yet. That was odd; she was usually up at this hour.

Asriel reckoned she simply wanted to sleep a little longer today, and he didn't blame her. She looked very tired the day before. And it wasn't a schoolday anyway, so…

But she wasn't the type of person to sleep longer than usual. Asriel wasn't exactly sure why, but Frisk had always insisted on getting up at a certain time—even in the weekends.

Asriel's father instincts began to kick in. Leaving his breakfast on the table, he walked over to Frisk's bedroom door. His hand went to the doorknob.

A hoarse cough erupted from the other side, followed by a brief groan.

Asriel frowned and carefully opened the door. Frisk noticed him immediately, but she remained still, only following him with her eyes as he approached.

"Frisk…?" Asriel said.

"Hi," Frisk softly greeted. Her voice was raspy. "I'm not feeling so good…"

Asriel immediately felt fear kick in. His daughter was _sick_ …!

If Frisk were a Monster, that wouldn't have been too much of a problem; it'd only be a matter of time before she was on her feet again, and if Asriel was really worried, he could always summon Gaster. The Royal Scientist knew a thing or two about…pretty much every branch of science.

But since Humans and Monsters were so vastly different, Asriel felt afraid. Even the food the two races made differed. Gaster and Alphys were knowledgeable on the area of Monster illnesses, but what about their Human counterparts?

Asriel walked over and gently put his hand on the child's cheek. She definitely had a fever. "Seems like you caught a bug," Asriel whispered, trying to keep his voice calm and reassuring. "Just stay in bed. I'll see if Dr. Gaster can do something about it."

"Hm…" Frisk hummed, leaning into Asriel's hand. "I think I'm okay, though. It's just a flu, right?"

"It probably is. But I'll get Gaster anyway, just because…just because. Okay?"

"Okay."

Outside the room, Asriel let out a shaky breath. He immediately grabbed his phone and dialed the Hotland lab's number. In the living room, he sat down in the reading chair, keeping the phone at his ear.

 _"_ _Greetings,"_ Gaster's smooth voice said from the other side. _"This is Dr. WingDings Gaster. How may I help you?"_

"Doctor?" Asriel said. His voice shook. "It's Asriel. Frisk is ill."

 _"_ _Frisk is…"_ Gaster fell silent. He knew the gravity of this. _"I will be there as soon as possible."_

With Gaster's teleportation, it only took about two minutes before he appeared at the castle's front door with the necessary equipment. To Asriel, those two minutes felt like hours. He'd completely missed this. Of course Frisk was bound to fall ill at some point. Why had he never even thought about that?

"Her voice is raspy," Asriel explained as he and Gaster were walking towards the child's bedroom. "She has a fever, and she says she's not feeling good. I mean, there's a good chance she'll be okay, but I'm too scared to take a risk."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Gaster said. "You made the right decision."

When they were at Frisk's door, Asriel cracked it open to see if she was awake. She was. Feeling a little guilty for keeping her from her sleep, Asriel didn't resist as Gaster told him to go to the living room so the doctor could concentrate on the examination.

Asriel sat down on the reading chair again. His breakfast was still on the dining table, but his appetite was—unsurprisingly—completely gone, replaced by an unfamiliar nausea in his stomach.

The two minutes waiting for Gaster had seemed like a lifetime. The time Gaster spent examining Frisk was even longer. Of course Asriel didn't doubt the Royal Scientist's intelligence, but he also knew that Gaster was on unfamiliar territory here.

Finally Frisk's door opened and closed. Asriel stood up as Gaster entered the living room.

"I will need to take her to my lab for a full examination," Gaster said. "However, from what I have gathered so far, I strongly doubt that she will need my help in order to get better."

Great. Another eternity of waiting. At least that last thing brought a little hope.

Whether Frisk was okay was still far from confirmed, though. After Gaster teleported Frisk, Asriel and himself to the Hotland lab, he told the king to sit and wait during the examinations. Asriel sat down in a chair, and Gaster took Frisk to a deeper part of his lab.

Asriel felt this chipping away at him. Every moment without news was more difficult to bear than the previous. If Frisk _wasn't_ okay…

The double front door opened.

"Dr. Gaster?" Alphys' nervous voice sounded. "S-sorry I'm la—" She noticed Asriel and stumbled, barely keeping her balance. Some of the things she carried nearly fell.

"Dr. Alphys," Asriel said as he stood up. "You alright, there?"

She nodded, regaining her composure.

"Sorry if I startled you," Asriel apologized, sitting back down. He knew he could look a little imposing. "Dr. Gaster's gone through that door." He pointed.

Alphys frowned. "R-really? D-did he say what he was doing…?"

"Frisk is sick. He took her there for an examination."

"Frisk is— O-oh, dear." She immediately scrambled to the door Gaster had gone through, and soon vanished from sight.

Asriel was left to continue waiting. He looked at a nearby clock and was shocked to see that it wasn't even noon yet. This whole ordeal really messed with him.

After another long while, Gaster reappeared, walking next to Frisk and making sure she wouldn't fall over. Alphys trailed behind, looking relieved.

"Even my equipment and knowledge has limits, I fear," Gaster said, "but I cannot bring any bad news. In fact, I believe her body may be making preparations to retaliate against the illness. If her symptoms do not decrease in the next few days, however, I implore you to contact me again. Keep me updated."

"Of course," Asriel said, standing up. "Thank you, Doctor."

Gaster was so friendly to teleport Asriel and Frisk back to New Home. Asriel immediately brought Frisk back to bed and—on her request—gave her some soup.

After that, it was finally time for Asriel himself to eat his breakfast. Things were still uncertain, but his appetite had returned somewhat. At least there was that.

* * *

 **Don't worry—Frisk isn't seriously sick. Her flu probably won't be some major thing in the next chapters.**


	14. Future hints

**THE VILLAIN:** _Thank you! I'll do my best._

 **Dream1990:** _Thank you!_ **  
** _No worries—like I mentioned in the author's note, her sickness isn't going to be a major thing from now on._

 **Redhilt Wood:** _Thank you!  
You're correct—Chara didn't fall down in this universe, nor did any of the other children (except for Frisk, obviously). Asriel got old, became king, etc.._

 **Funny. A day after I started writing this chapter, I got sick myself.**

 **Also, this chapter is short, and not many noteworthy things happen. See the author's note at the end of this chapter to find out why that is. If I may boast for a bit, I think I did a pretty good job at clarifying the situation…**

* * *

In the days following Frisk's illness, Asriel was relieved to see that the child got notably better at a fast rate. Two days after she'd fallen ill, she was already fit enough to get out of bed early for breakfast. Her head still hurt a little and her stomach felt off to her, but none of that affected her appetite.

Gaster was relieved to hear the good news when Asriel phoned him for an update on Frisk's condition. The scientist mentioned that he may have gotten some relevant information on Human physiology and sicknesses when he researched Frisk—information that might eventually prove helpful, should the Human ever fall ill again.

Two more days later, Frisk wanted to take a little stroll around New Home with Asriel. The king, despite insisting that she still needed rest, eventually relented. Frisk seemed to be doing alright; maybe he was just being a little overprotective.

They ended up going to Hotland. Frisk originally wanted to take a long walk all the way to Snowdin, but Asriel advised against that; the Human had just recovered from an illness, so taking long hikes to cold places probably wasn't a good idea.

They eventually went to Gaster's well-ventilated lab. Asriel felt his sweat soaking his fur; the royal outfit he wore wasn't exactly designed to deter heat. Frisk was sweating as well, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Dr. Gaster?" Asriel called. "I hope you don't mind if we take advantage of your air-conditioning here."

"i doubt it," Sans grinned as he descended from the escalator. "i do that every day, and he doesn't seem to care."

"Sans?" Asriel said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"helpin' the good doctor, of course." Sans gave Frisk a nod. "hey, kid. how're you holding up? heard you weren't doin' so well."

"I'm okay," Frisk said. "I'm doing better."

"glad to hear that. what about you, azzy? more bureaucracy keepin' you busy?"

Asriel shrugged. "Eh, I'm getting used to it. Also, I had more important matters to attend to." He gave Frisk's head a gentle pat.

"right," Sans said. "anyway, if you see a weird robot with a mountainous ego stumblin' around the place, try not to be too weirded out."

Asriel looked at him blankly.

"that's mettaton," Sans explained with a chuckle. "he's a ghost. alphys gave him a robotic body, but he still needs to get used to it."

As if on cue, a crashing sound was heard upstairs, followed by nervous stuttering from Alphys.

"… Okay," Asriel said. "So, Mettaton wanted a physical body…?"

"pretty sure alphys agreed to do it 'cause she needs to impress dad—and you."

"She feels like she needs to prove herself?"

Sans shrugged. "i suppose. she designed it so he could become a tv star or something. maybe she just wants to bring some more lightheartedness to the underground."

Asriel pensively glanced at the escalator. Something about what Sans just told him made him feel uneasy. Creating a body for a ghost? Why? That wasn't a prerequisite for becoming a TV star, was it? Were there other intentions behind this? Some…darker intentions?

"asriel. don't worry about it," Sans grinned. "i can see you worryin' about it. don't worry about it. alphys knows what she's doin'."

Asriel still didn't feel comfortable, but he knew better than to question Sans' judgement. The skeleton wasn't the most active person in the world, but he had his moments where he seemed to be in control of nearly everything—as if he knew a lot more than he let on, and used that knowledge in exactly the right way. This was one of those moments.

Always a good sign.

"welp," Sans finally said with a sigh. "it's my lunchbreak. you guys want to come along with me to grillby's?"

"Sans. We _just_ had breakfast."

"that's why i'm offering you the opposite. To compensate."

"The opposite…?"

"yeah. a _fast break_."

Frisk giggled.

"Oh, dear…" Asriel chuckled. "Those jokes of yours get worse by the day, Sans."

"funny. paps said the exact same thing to me the other day."

"I'm not surprised," Asriel said.

Sans gave a nod. "well then, i'll see you two later, i guess. feel free to check on alphys and her project if you want."

He left. Asriel hesitantly looked at where the escalator led to. He could hear Alphys' nervous talking, to which a confident masculine voice replied. Asriel looked at Frisk, who appeared nervous.

"You okay?" Asriel asked. He knew how uncomfortable Frisk could be when meeting new people. "You want to go back home?"

She nodded.

* * *

Mettaton crashed straight into the wall.

"O-oh, dear," Alphys stuttered. "I-I'm sorry, I still need to…" She trailed off, searching for the right tool on the nearby table.

"It's quite alright, darling," Mettaton said as he got up. "No one ever said becoming a TV star was going to be easy."

"H-hold still…" Alphys said as she proceeded to make a few modifications. "Eh…heh. I-I guess it's not so great a body after all, huh?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Alphys. You did a wonderful job. These occasional hiccups are nothing."

Alphys couldn't help but smile a bit, feeling relieved at Mettaton's forgiving and supporting words. "Tha-thank you, Mettaton."

A brief silence. "So…" Mettaton said. "How'd you react when the king told everyone about…the Human?"

She giggled. "Ehe… I, ah, I got…my hopes up."

"What do you mean?"

"I-I thought— _hoped_ that she'd break the Barrier."

"What? By letting someone take her Soul—?"

"No, no! But…singlehandedly…" She paused. "Hehe, I know it's ridiculous."

"Don't worry about that, darling. I think everyone got that kind of hope when her presence was announced."

"Maybe."

"I certainly hope she'll watch my show."

"I think she will."

He glanced at her. "Really?" He paused. "You think she'll agree to an interview?"

"Th-that I don't know… I-I know for a fact that she's a little timid."

"Ah, well… I suppose we'll have to wait and see what the future holds." He pensively turned to the wall. "Interviewing a Human… Now that'd be interesting."

* * *

 **Hey guys?**

 **HELP.**

 **As you may suspect, I'm** ** _seriously_** **running out of ideas for chapters. A week before this chapter was published, I didn't even have a plot for it yet (and it almost feels like that never changed, 'cause this chapter feels emptier to me than its predecessors). If you've got an idea you'd like me to write, please leave it in the reviews or a PM—like, seriously, PLEASE—and I'll see if I can make a chapter out of it.**


	15. Bully

**WARNING: This chapter has a bully in it.**

 **If you've played Deltarune (I love that game!) you might…recognize some things in this chapter, as well as future chapters.**

 **Also, sorry for the wait. School's been keeping me busier than ever.**

 **Finally… Merry Christmas!**

 **Amelia dragneel15:** _Thank you for the ideas. I'm probably going to hold off on adding other humans (at least for now), but those other suggestions also sound interesting._

 **TotallyNotaHacker:** _Thank you for the tip. It would seem that I played Deltarune at a good timing, because now I know someone I could introduce for just that purpose…_

* * *

Frisk walked down the hall of Toriel's school. The place was deserted; Frisk herself had stayed a little longer to help her adoptive grandmother with cleaning up the classroom, after which the Human decided to head home. She did that more often than not.

Asriel hadn't come with her. He'd stopped going with her to school a while ago. She knew the way, and she'd insisted on going alone so that the king could focus on his paperwork. Frisk didn't like seeing him stressed, and she certainly didn't want to make it worse for him.

A brief crunching noise caught her attention. She turned her head to the hallway it'd come from, only to freeze up.

A familiar Monster gazed back from the shadowy hallway, a half-eaten piece of chalk in her hand.

The Monster—a tall, purple, vaguely reptilian girl whose eyes were largely obscured by her messy hair—froze upon seeing Frisk, then smirked. She put the remaining chalk in her pocket.

Frisk was instantly petrified. She knew who this was. Her name was Susie; she was in a different class, but her reputation was known to the entire school.

Frisk never dealt with her before.

"Oh, hey…" Susie said. "Frisk, was it?" She took a few lethargic steps towards the Human, who backed away. "Didn't see you there."

Frisk didn't have the courage to run.

Susie glanced around; there was no one else in sight. "Hey…" she said. "You didn't see anything just now, did you? Not a lot of teachers like it when the chalk goes missing, so…"

Frisk was too afraid to speak.

"You can't even say…?" Susie looked Frisk right in the eye. "Frisk…"

She began to approach the younger child. Frisk found it within herself to move, but only a little bit. All she was able to do was back away more until she felt the wall behind her.

"Hey." Susie stood right in front of her. Frisk could feel the Monster's breath on her face.

Susie put her hand on her shoulder. In any other circumstance, that might've been a sign of friendliness or sympathy, but Frisk felt the purple hand firmly hold her in place.

"Frisk," Susie said, her voice low and threatening. "I don't get along with quiet people very well." Her grip tightened a little, her yellow eyes menacingly glimmered in the light of a nearby lamp. "I know what you're thinking, you know. A chance to _finally_ have me expelled. I don't like that… But because you're the king's kid, I suppose I could give you one more chance. So I'll ask again…" Her voice became a growl as she bared her razor-sharp teeth. "You. Saw. Nothing. Right?"

"N-no!" Frisk squeaked. "I-I saw nothing!"

Susie grinned. "Good." She removed her hand from Frisk's shoulder. "'Cause if you had…well…that might've led to some…consequences." She turned around. "Catch ya later."

When Susie left, Frisk let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. She couldn't let herself cry. Instead, she just sniffed and walked out of the building.

Upon reaching the castle in New Home, she hollered a greeting for Asriel, who hollered back. He didn't sound tired or stressed, thankfully; maybe he didn't have as much paperwork.

Frisk put her schoolbag down in her room. When she reentered the hallway, she saw Asriel approach her from the living room, giving a kind smile.

"Hey, Frisk," Asriel greeted. "How was school?"

"Good." Her voice was quiet—nothing new there—but it shook a little more than usual. Noticing this, Asriel frowned.

"Are you okay?" Asriel asked.

Frisk swallowed. "I'm okay," she said in a steadier voice.

"… Alright." Asriel still felt like something was off—could've been overprotectiveness, could've been his parent instincts—but he didn't push it. "You hungry?"

* * *

After eating, Frisk retreated back to her room. She usually did that; she read a lot there in her free time nowadays. Asriel returned to the living room. He was done working.

Or, rather, he was done doing paperwork. There was something else he had to do.

 _Call me overprotective…_ he thought as he grabbed his phone and called his parents at Home.

It was Asgore who picked up. "Hello?"

"Dad," Asriel greeted. "How are you?"

"Asriel! Howdy. I have been fine, thank you. What about you? Ever since Frisk's appearance, you must have gotten a mountain of paperwork. Even now, people in Home express shock about it."

"Well, I can deal with that," Asriel said. "So can Frisk. But there's something else I need to talk about." He quieted his voice. "You don't…happen to have seen Frisk recently, have you?"

"No. She has not been in Home or Snowdin recently. Why?" His voice grew alarmed. "Is she missing?"

"No, no, she's at New Home right now. But…there's something bothering me. This is just a hunch, but I feel like something might've happened at school."

"In that case, you should ask Tori. She is Frisk's teacher, after all. Hold on, I will hand her the phone."

"Yeah. Uh, thanks."

"Here she comes. See you later, Son."

"Talk to you later, Dad."

Sounds of the phone being handed over and Asgore's voice in the background preceded Toriel's greeting. "Hello, Asriel!" she said. "How are you? Asgore mentioned that you were worried…?"

"Hey Mom. Yeah, it's true. When Frisk came home today, I got this feeling that something was up. She said she was fine, though. This could just be me freaking out over nothing…"

"No," his mother resolutely said. "If you feel that something is bothering her, pursue it. Never ignore your instincts, but do not assume that they tell the whole story, either."

Asriel blinked. "That's…some wisdom right there."

"Of course. Raising a child of my own taught me many things."

"Like how to hide the cookie jar?"

She chuckled. "Among other things, yes."

Asriel smiled. "Anyways, I was wondering if you'd seen anything weird going on with Frisk lately?"

Toriel took a moment to think. "Not that I can recall," she finally said. "She was her usual self this entire day."

"So you don't know what might've spooked her…?"

"No. I watch her constantly in class; she is a little solitary, but she seems to be getting along with the other children."

"Alright, well…thanks. I guess I'm just being too—"

"Asriel, what did I just say about instincts?"

He sighed. "Never ignore them."

"Exactly. I will keep an eye on Frisk as often as I can, and I will have the other teachers do the same."

"Thanks, Mom."

* * *

After giving Frisk her lunchbox and a slice of pie for school, Asriel let her go. Aside from Frisk's slightly disturbed behavior the day before, nothing else had indicated that something had happened.

He made a subtle attempt to have her talk about it, but she just said that everything was fine. Asriel didn't buy it; if his instincts didn't stop warning him in the near future, and if Toriel wasn't able to find out why, he was going to have to go with Frisk to school again. If something or someone there tormented her, he was not going to stand there and watch her take it.

And if he couldn't find out what was bothering her…he knew that Sans was really good at playing detective.

* * *

Following her encounter with Susie the other day, Frisk was a little nervous to go to school again. She realized she didn't need to though; the only reason why she'd had to deal with Susie in the first place was because there had been no teacher around. This time, all Frisk had to do was get out of the building as quickly as possible once class was over. At any other time of the day, Toriel was there to protect her.

Still, something scratched at the back of Frisk's skull. Had Susie just intimidated her for the sake of intimidating her? Or had it been…something else? Everyone knew that Susie was closer than anyone to being expelled. Why would Susie, who'd never shown care for anything, who'd suffered detention countless times, who'd been berated, shunned, _hated_ , care about being reprimanded for eating chalk? It's not like she was going to jail for it. It also wasn't enough to have her expelled, even now.

These thoughts went through Frisk's mind as she sat on a small bench outside, separated from the students who were playing and hanging out. Some of the teachers—including Toriel—were sitting on a bench near the school's entrance, chatting and keeping an eye on the children around them.

Frisk was eating her lunch. The slice of pie Asriel had given her was still untouched. It wasn't that she didn't like it—it was quite the contrary—but her appetite varied each day. Sometimes she was able to eat it, sometimes it was just too much for her stomach to carry.

Suddenly, Frisk's aimless gaze landed on a purple reptile in the distance. Susie was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed, her eyes still largely hidden behind her hair. Frisk felt nervousness well up, but she resolutely remained seated.

Susie saw her look. Their eyes met, sending a brief shock down Frisk's spine. Susie, on the other hand, smirked and briefly lifted her chin as a mocking greeting. Frisk looked away, but she could feel the Monster's eyes rest on her, dark, piercing, unyielding—

The bell rang.

Relief washed over the Human girl. Still refusing to return Susie's gaze, she immediately sped off to class…

…not noticing Toriel's worried look.

* * *

"Asriel?" Toriel said through her phone. "I believe your worry for Frisk is justified."

"Why? What's going on?"

"I saw her just now," Toriel said. "During today's lunchbreak. She was sitting on a bench nearby, and she suddenly looked…nervous."

"… Just like that? She looked nervous?"

"She saw something specific, I believe. Something that frightened her. I am unsure as to what though; there were many children around. Any one of them could have been the cause, somehow."

"So you're saying that she became nervous because she saw a certain someone…" Asriel leaned back in his seat, frowning in thought. "Are there any Monsters that might look…scary? To a Human, that is?"

"Plenty, I would say. But this is the first time I have seen her react this fearfully to anyone."

"Have any new students joined the school recently?"

"No, most definitely not."

"Any…any bullies…?"

"There are certainly bullies in the school, but I can see that her classmates treat her with respect. I do not recall seeing Frisk interact with children from other classes." She paused. "But it is still possible that it happened, of course. If whatever she saw just now was a bully…"

"If Frisk is being bullied, we should have someone watch her more closely. I could go myself, but I don't know if I'll be able to find out who the culprit is. I think Frisk needs someone who knows a lot more about…facial expressions." He smirked. "And I know just the guy."

"While I agree that Sans is a valid candidate," Toriel said, "is he not supposed to guard Snowdin?"

"There're lots of sentries in Snowdin. They can handle things without him for a while—they were trained to. And it's only temporary anyway. Knowing Sans, he'll have this figured out in no time."

"A fair argument. But I actually meant his brother. Papyrus relies on him greatly."

"I'll have some of the other sentries keep Papyrus company just in case. Outside of school hours, Sans can take their place again."

"I suppose that will have to do." She looked at the clock. "I have to go. The children have probably made it to the classroom by now, and I cannot let them make a mess."

"Yeah. Uh, see you later. And keep an eye on Frisk for me."

"I will."

* * *

When school ended, Frisk once again helped Toriel clean up the classroom. She did so voluntarily; no matter how often Toriel told her that it was okay to go home, Frisk wanted to stay and help—even after what happened yesterday. She liked spending time with her adoptive grandmother, and she didn't mind doing chores.

Eventually they had to part ways. Toriel had paperwork to deal with—which was obviously something Frisk didn't know anything about—as well as a meeting later that day.

Frisk left the room.

A cold air descended on her like a falling cloud. She shivered. Despite knowing that the classrooms still held teachers, she felt alone. Abandoned…

…yet disturbingly…not alone.

She took off her bag and held it in her hands. Then she slowly walked down the hallway to the main entrance. Before passing the hallway Susie had appeared in earlier, she peeked around its corner. Nothing.

A sound behind her was heard, like two cushioned objects violently colliding. Startled, she turned to the sound's source.

Susie emerged from the supply closet, growling in annoyance.

She noticed Frisk.

"… Well," Susie dryly said. "Look who it is."

She approached Frisk.

The Human looked back—frozen, but somewhat controlled. She wanted to run so badly. But she didn't. She couldn't.

She had to try something first.

Her gaze flitted to the door to Toriel's classroom. Susie noticed it. "Yeah, go ahead," Susie challenged as she towered over the little girl. "Call your teacher. If you dare."

She didn't seem to notice that Frisk was fumbling with something in her bag.

"Heh," Susie said. "I guess you'd stop being so quiet if you did. That'd be a plus." Her eyes darkened. "Man. I heard Asriel's got some really impressive magic powers. You'd expect his kid to be less of a—"

She stopped when she felt something being pressed against her stomach. She looked down.

With her hands sweaty and shaking, Frisk was gently poking the slice of pie—still untouched and wrapped up in a plastic bag—against Susie's abdomen.

Susie frowned and looked at Frisk again, her confusion visible on her face. Barely realizing it, she took a step back, still frowning, still confused. She looked from Frisk to the pie and back.

And whenever she looked at the pie, something shone through the confusion in her eyes.

A very, very strong desire for a good snack.

She was at a loss for words. Her expression didn't hold anger. Or gratefulness. Just…confusion. She evidently had no idea what was going on.

Finally, she made a noise that sounded like a compromise between a grunt and a growl, snatched the pie from Frisk's hand—still looking baffled—and quickly made her way down the hallway. The sound of the front door opening and closing followed.

Frisk let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She let a few tears leave her eyes. She felt relieved and burdened at the same time; while it was nice that Susie wasn't going to bother her today, she was afraid of what the future might bring. Was Susie going to make a frequent target out of her?

But most of all, Frisk was afraid of what Susie was feeling at that moment. Did she do the right thing by giving her that pie? It seemed more as if Susie was ashamed.

Susie was a bully, yes… But if she really had intimidated Frisk for the sake of intimidating her, she would not have accepted that pie—at least not without some scornful words.

* * *

 **New Home**

"you got it, boss," Sans said. "if anyone looks at the kid funny, i alert toriel."

"Just make sure Frisk is okay," Asriel said. "And find whoever's targeting her."

Sans nodded. "yup. that."

The king sighed. "I'm sorry to put this burden on you, Sans, but…"

"nah, there's no need for that, boss. i'm happy to help."

"Thank you."

Sans gave a nod. Then he teleported away.

* * *

 **I don't know if eating chalk causes serious problems or what, but I'd advise against taking the risk. I survived this long without it just fine. It's probably not that tasty anyway. Just thought I'd mention.**

 **Also, don't be a bully.**

 **Lastly, I don't think that most bullies would be deterred by Frisk's method in this chapter.**


	16. Victim

**dream1990:** _Thank you!_

 **Amelia dragneel15:** _My favorite ships are…not really existent, truth be told. I don't really ship a lot.  
I don't think I'm going to include (a lot of) romance in this. I do feel like a (few) flashforward chapter(s) might be a good idea. Frans isn't going to happen though, I'm afraid; I'd like to depict Sans as more of an uncle or even an older brother figure to Frisk, rather than a love interest. (But that's just my personal opinion.)  
Gaster actually has made appearances in prior chapters, but not as some ominous time-and-space defying ghost; he's the Royal Scientist and works alongside Alphys.  
_

 **Okay, so as you may or may not have expected, Susie's story here isn't done yet. This chapter and the next one are going to be about her. After that, I'll probably turn to something else, though she will be included from time to time.**

* * *

Frisk hadn't seen Susie so far that day.

In fact, she was pretty sure Susie was either sick or skipping school. According to some of her classmates, she hadn't shown up all day. None of the students were complaining though.

Frisk didn't feel very comfortable. Was Susie skipping school because of what happened the other day? Was she too ashamed about that thing with the pie…?

Of course, it could be for a very different reason. Maybe she _was_ sick. Or maybe she was feeling particularly roguish.

Or perhaps it had something to do with Sans.

When the skeleton made an appearance just before school started, Frisk's heart had jumped. Sans was a good friend. As the day progressed though, Frisk began to feel more…suspicious. She knew Sans had a job to do, yet he stayed near her school the entire day—she saw him through the windows just strolling about every now and then. It wasn't that she didn't like talking to him—she did—but something told her that there was more going on.

Sans had apparently noticed his cover was blown, because after helping Toriel clean up, Frisk saw him again in the hallway, leaning against the wall. He briefly raised his chin in a greeting manner.

"'sup, kid," Sans said as he lazily approached her. "hey, can we talk for a sec?"

"Sure," Frisk said. She'd become less shy around him quickly; the skeleton had a relaxed, reassuring air around him. "What is it?"

Sans looked at her. "well…i'll just get to the point: you're probably wondering why i've spent the entire day here instead of doing my usual job."

Frisk hesitated.

"i've seen your face, kid. and i know you're smart. don't tell me you didn't feel a little suspicious about this whole matter."

She timidly shrugged, glancing down. "Um…yeah. I thought…" She trailed off.

"you thought…?" Sans said. "thought that i was taking a day off—which might very well have been the case—or that i'm here to keep an eye on you 'cause someone told me you've been acting strange?" He paused. "it's the latter, by the way."

She nodded, then frowned. "I've been acting strange…?"

"now, that's not what i said; it's what my…employer told me."

"You mean Dad?"

"there's no hiding anything from you, is there?" Sans grinned. "yeah, it's the king. he's worried about ya. says he may or may not think you're being targeted by a bully or something."

Frisk started. The pieces suddenly fell into place.

After her first encounter with Susie, Asriel noticed that something was up—despite her best efforts to hide it. That must've been where it started; her adoptive father almost always knew what she was feeling, even when she tried to conceal it. That might've led him to have Sans play one of his best roles: detective.

For all Frisk knew, the entire Royal Guard could be aware of the matter.

Frisk knew she could trust Sans. But now that she'd set her plan to make amends with Susie in motion, was it a good idea to involve anyone in it…? If Asriel found out, he'd immediately tell Toriel—who'd bring it up in the next meeting she had with her colleagues. Knowing how close Susie was to being expelled, she would have to be very, _very_ lucky if she was allowed to stay.

Frisk didn't want Susie expelled. Could she tell Sans about this and trust him that he'd remain silent to Asriel…?

"you look conflicted," Sans noted. "there's something going on, isn't there?"

She hesitated, but ultimately decided to take the risk. "It's… Please don't tell Dad about this?"

"kid. it's not that easy. your dad's my boss. not only that, but i'm worried about you too. if there're problems, i can't just keep that quiet."

"I-it's not that bad!" she exclaimed. "Please, let me explain!"

"relax, kid. i'm not going anywhere just yet. but if you want to talk to me in person…" He gently put his hand on Frisk's shoulder. "i think we should go someplace more private. there're still teachers in this building."

Before Frisk could say anything, the environment around her changed. Within the blink of an eye, the school building transformed into a familiar house. It was cozy, and through the window Frisk could see a snowy area.

Sans and Papyrus' house.

She looked at the skeleton with wide eyes. Sans shrugged. "heh. neat trick, eh?"

"That was…cool," she said.

"thanks. now…" He gestured to the couch. "let's just take a seat, and you can tell me what's going on."

Frisk did so. Sans sat down next to her.

She started talking.

The story began at the moment of her first encounter with Susie. She made sure to mention the purple dragon's reputation as the school's most infamous bully. As she spoke she eyed him, hoping he wouldn't suddenly disappear to tell Asriel about it. Sans remained seated however, listening closely to her story.

After briefly mentioning seeing Susie during lunchbreak the day after, Frisk moved to the part where she met the lizard again. When she told Sans about the peace offering, he curiously tilted his head, and his eyes made it evident that Susie's reaction to the pie was not something he'd expected.

Frisk finished by explaining that she wanted to continue helping Susie find a better way, and that having her expelled—especially now that Frisk's plan had already begun—wasn't going to help with that. She gave Sans a pleading look, and he returned it with a pensive one.

"i…have to say," he said. "that might just be the most interesting bully story i've heard so far. you're sayin' that she actually accepted that pie and just…kinda left? no threats, no nothing?"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah, but I…I'm scared."

"scared that she won't stop her bullying?"

"That I made her feel…bad."

"aw, kid…" Sans put a hand on her shoulder. "what ya did was something not a lot of people would do. most would've run away. some would've stood their ground and fought back. i don't recall hearing about anyone giving a peace offering. what ya did was brave and kind." He gave a proud look. " _and_ …i think you're onto something here."

She looked at him. "But…what about Dad?"

"right." He took a few moments to think. "tell ya what. if you can get through to this susie girl—or at the very least convince her to stop bullying you—i suppose asriel and toriel don't need to know anything yet. but they'll find out eventually, and it's best to hear it from one of us two."

"But she'll get expelled…"

"which is why we'll tell 'em _after_ this whole susie business is over. they'll have to hear the whole truth, but if you tell asriel that you don't want susie to be expelled and that she's changed her ways, he'll listen to you."

"You think so?"

"eh, you know. the dreemurrs can be a little protective, but also reasonable. mostly." He chuckled. "really, if azzy or tori find out you turned a bully into a friend—or even a _potential_ friend—i highly doubt they're going to have her expelled. but until then…" He straightened his back. "i'm afraid i'm going to have to stay with you at school. asriel won't let me quit this job until i report something to him. speaking of which, did susie behave today?"

"She…wasn't at school." She looked down again. "I think it had something to do with…me."

"what, with the pie you gave her?"

She nodded.

"s'pose we'll just have to wait and see. just don't feel bad, kid. you're doing the best you can." He lethargically stood up. "now, i think you should go home. azzy's probably wondering where you are right now."

Frisk stood up as well and looked at Sans hesitantly. In response, Sans teleported them both to Asriel's castle.

After greeting his daughter, Asriel gave her some freshly-baked pie. As she began to eat, the king went with Sans to another room so they could speak in private.

"So," Asriel said, keeping his voice down so Frisk wouldn't hear. "Anything to report?"

Sans looked him straight in the eye.

"nope," he lied. "nothing. not today."

Asriel scratched his head. "Alright, well…"

"i'll keep an eye on her for a while longer."

"You think I'm right to worry about her…?"

"yeah."

"… Well, do you have any theories?"

"sorry to disappoint, but no."

"You think it might be a bully?"

"could be anything, really. give me a few more days."

"Take your time. Just make sure she's safe." He paused. "You want some pie? I still have plenty left."

* * *

The next day, Frisk saw Susie outside during lunchbreak. She briefly considered approaching her, but was taken out of her thoughts when Sans sat down next to her on the bench.

"act natural," he said, leaning back. "tori's sitting right there, and she's got her eye on us." He paused. "beautiful day outside, huh? birds singing, flowers blooming… so…you see your bully?"

Frisk subtly gestured towards Susie with her eyes. She didn't want the purple Monster to know that she'd been spotted, nor did she want Toriel—who, like always, sat on a bench to oversee the place—to become suspicious.

Sans inconspicuously glanced in the direction Frisk had gestured to. "you're going to have to be more specific, kid," he said. "there's loads of people there."

"She's…purple."

He glanced again. "ah…you mean the tall kid? the one with torn jeans?"

Frisk nodded.

"and she's the most infamous bully in this school? yeah, she looks the part. has she seen you?"

"I don't think so."

"okay. well, what's your plan?"

"I usually meet her after school. I always stay a little longer with Mrs. Toriel."

"and susie stays a little longer because…?"

Frisk frowned. "I don't know," she realized. "She, um, ate chalk the first time."

"she ate chalk," Sans slowly repeated, pensive. "huh. okay. anyways, back to the matter at hand; what if she won't be there after school today?"

"I'll try tomorrow."

"and what if she won't be there then? listen to me, kid; if she really is ashamed or whatever about that pie thing, she might start avoiding you. that means she may or may not deliberately go home early so she won't meet you. you're going to have to adapt to that." He paused. "speaking of which, what exactly are you going to do when you meet her again?"

Realizing she didn't know the answer to that, Frisk took a second to think. "I will… I will tell her that she doesn't have to worry. That she doesn't have to be ashamed."

Sans sighed. "frisk… you've got a good heart, but i don't think any of that will help her. she'll probably just get more defensive."

"Why?" Frisk innocently asked.

The skeleton shrugged. "it's kinda complicated—partly because we don't know _why_ she's a bully. let's just put it this way: most bullies want to scare or anger people, right?"

Frisk nodded.

"now, in your case, susie failed at both. maybe she tried to scare you, but you stood your ground. maybe she tried to make you mad, but you gave her pie. you see where i'm going with this?"

Frisk nodded slowly. "But…don't bullies usually also steal people's food?"

Sans held back a chuckle. It wasn't a wrong statement—it happened that bullies stole other students' lunch—but the way Frisk put it sounded funny to him for some reason. As if bullies would visit their victims' houses in the evening and reach through their window to snatch away a handful of spaghetti.

"yeah, i s'pose" he said. "but she didn't seem to want to steal your food—" He suddenly fell silent, his gaze almost completely turning to Susie. "… you said she was eating chalk during your first encounter?"

"Yes. And she didn't want me to tell anyone."

Sans looked pensive. "why would anyone get expelled for eating chalk…" he said, more to himself than to Frisk.

"She shouldn't be. She's very close to being expelled, but even then…"

Sans nodded, still thoughtful. "bullying people is what gets you expelled. giving the school a bad name is what gets you expelled. she's disobedient, she's violent, she doesn't care about rules, and _that_ 's what's gotten her to this point. but eating chalk is little more than a prank. or…"

Frisk frowned. "Or…?"

"torn jeans… messy hair…" He paused. Then, as if by magic, regained his relaxed aura. "eh, it's probably nothing. just ignore me."

Frisk didn't believe him, but she didn't speak.

She sensed a gaze on her. She looked around and finally saw Susie, who immediately looked away again. Frisk frowned. She wanted to make amends with this girl as soon as possible, but she had to go about it carefully lest her plan backfired.

"kid, look away. _now_."

She quickly obeyed. "Wh-why?" she whispered.

Sans said something under his breath. "i think toriel saw who you were looking at. she might be onto us." He inconspicuously glanced around the area. "she just grabbed her phone. i think we've got a problem."

"What do we do?!"

"stay calm, kid. i think i have a plan." He let out a chuckle. "first, i'm going to teach you real fast how to lie with a straight face."

* * *

Susie growled in annoyance as she dug through the supply closet, silently hoping that none of the teachers would spot her.

They must've been growing desperate, because each day the box with chalk became harder to find. So far, she'd still been able to get it without too much trouble, but her stomach was expecting a snack. And she hated it when her snack time had to be delayed.

She'd grown a liking to eating chalk. It was nowhere near as good as that pie two days ago— _that_ moment was beyond humiliating, by the way—but there wasn't much else in the school she'd consider edible. Aside from the other students' lunches, of course, but she never bothered with those.

Sometimes she wondered _why_ she didn't.

She suddenly felt a pair of eyes on her. She turned to see a figure in the hallway. She snarled, realizing she'd been spotted.

As she approached the figure, she realized that they were someone she didn't know. She'd seen him sitting next to Frisk during lunchbreak, but other than that he'd never shown up at school before.

"heya," the short skeleton said. "you've been busy, huh?"

"Who are you?" Susie growled.

"no one of consequence."

"Then get out of my way."

"you sure you don't want to continue looking for chalk in there?"

She froze. How did he know about that?!

Of course. Frisk must've told him.

She towered over the shorter Monster. "You better shut your mouth…"

"i'm a skeleton," he said, not looking intimidated in the least. "i barely have a mouth."

"Think you're funny, huh?"

He sighed. "let's just get to the point. i know about your little conversations with frisk."

"Of course you do. Bet she told everyone who'd listen."

"mrs. toriel would listen—but she hasn't confronted you about it. why do you think that is?"

She smirked. "On second thought, I _did_ tell that little wimp to shut up about the chalk."

"she talked to me. i'm just some guy who's too lazy for his own good. why would she tell me of all people about the chalk thing?"

"You tell me. You punched it out of her?"

He snorted. "please. i have neither the muscle nor the will to throw a decent punch. least of all to my boss's kid." He regarded her. "unfortunately for you, mrs. toriel does seem to suspect something. has she talked to you about it yet?"

"Why do you care?"

"'cause frisk told me what happened those instances she met you—on the condition that i wouldn't tell anyone. that includes the king."

She scoffed. "Little brat's too scared, huh?"

"that's not the reason."

"Then what is?"

"what's it look like? she doesn't want you expelled."

She laughed at that. "Ha! You're funnier than I gave you credit for. _Everyone_ 's waiting for me to get expelled."

"except her. but now that toriel's on to you, you might want to be more careful. she is going to talk to you about it. if you don't want to get expelled, deny the accusations and have toriel ask frisk for evidence. you can trust the kid on this."

She blinked. When she reopened her eyes, the skeleton was gone.

Before she could look around for him, the sound of a door opening nearby echoed through the hallway. She turned to the source of the noise to see Mrs. Toriel looking at her from one of the nearby classrooms.

"Susie?" Toriel called. "Could I please talk to you?"

Susie glanced around—the skeleton really was gone—and finally shrugged, trying to stay relaxed. "Eh… I suppose."

She followed Toriel into the classroom. They both sat down at opposite sides of Toriel's desk. Susie could feel a tension in the air. The skeleton had mentioned that Toriel was going to have a conversation with her, but now that the moment was here…

Susie didn't have many friends, and she didn't care for school. But deep down, she knew she didn't want to get expelled. It'd mean the very end of her already damaged future.

"Susie," Toriel said. Her voice was calm as always, but it had an undertone Susie didn't like. "I assume you know about my granddaughter?"

"What, that Frisk girl?" Susie shrugged again. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, who hasn't?"

"Have you recently…interacted with her by any chance?"

Susie was just about to admit it—there was no avoiding being expelled now—only for something to hold her back at the last second.

 _if you don't want to get expelled,_ the skeleton had said, _deny the accusations and have toriel ask frisk for evidence._

Was that even going to do anything? Had the guy just been talking nonsense? To get her into more trouble?

 _she doesn't want you expelled._

Everyone _'s waiting for me to get expelled._

 _except her._

…

 _Eh. Whatever. I'll probably get expelled either way, so there's no reason not to give it a shot._

She shook her head, pretending to have misunderstood the question. "No."

Toriel's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"

"I mean, I've seen her walking around school, but we never talked. Why, did she mention me recently?"

"No, she did not."

"Okay. Then what am I doing here?"

A tense silence fell as the two stared each other down, their gazes doing poor jobs at hiding their mutual hostility.

"I simply wanted to be sure of something," Toriel finally said. "But I suppose I was wrong. You may go."

Susie wordlessly rose from her seat and left.

In the hallway, she cursed herself. Of course the skeleton's advice wasn't going to work. Of course Frisk was going to talk. There was no reason she wouldn't. She had at least three Boss Monsters and who-knew-who-else watching her back, so any threat Susie might use on her wasn't going to be taken seriously.

Tomorrow, she was going to have a chat with the principle. She just knew it.

* * *

Asriel stood up when Sans entered the dining room.

"Sans," Asriel greeted. "Anything to report?"

"nope. sorry."

"Are you sure?"

"pretty sure."

"You're lying."

Sans frowned. "whoa there, asriel. lying to the king? that's a pretty serious accusation."

Asriel approached him, his sharp teeth clenched. "Mom called. Said she suspected someone to be Frisk's enemy. If _she_ can do that, so can you—yet here you stand, claiming you didn't." He glared down at the skeleton. "A girl named Susie. The school's single most feared bully, even among some teachers. Mom laid a connection where you—the Underground's best detective—say there's none. I might not be as old and experienced as Mom or Dad, but I'm not stupid."

Sans raised his nonexistent eyebrows a little. "susie, you say? yeah, frisk mentioned her at some point. said she felt bad for her."

Asriel blinked. "Felt…bad…?"

"yeah. she didn't go into much detail though." He shrugged. "she's a good kid. cares a little too much sometimes if you ask me."

Asriel was at a loss of words for a moment. Then he sighed. "… Sorry."

"no harm done, boss. if i were in your position, i'd probably do the exact same." Sans turned around to leave. "welp, i gotta go."

Asriel didn't see the skeleton's eyes darkening.


	17. Friends

"Frisk, dear," Toriel said. "Before you go, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

Toriel waited until the classroom was empty. "Are you familiar at all with…Susie?"

Frisk tilted her head, pretending to have misunderstood the question. This was the part where Sans' lying lessons would come in handy.

 _just stay calm,_ Sans had told her. _don't fidget with your hands, don't tap your feet… and keep the lie short and simple. don't add too many details._

"Susie?" Frisk said. "The purple girl?"

"Yes, that one."

"I…I heard about her."

"Has she…spoken to you recently?"

Frisk shook her head.

"Hm…" Toriel said. "Okay. Thank you, Frisk. That would be all."

* * *

Frisk went to the hallway, hoping that Toriel hadn't seen through her lie. The building wasn't completely devoid of students yet, so she inconspicuously waited—and searched—until almost everyone was gone.

When the last student left through the front door, she sighed. She'd failed to find Susie. She wasn't going to be able to talk to her. Not today.

She was just about to walk to the front door when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around.

Susie glared her down menacingly.

Frisk took a small step backwards. Susie didn't move from her spot, thankfully.

"You didn't tell Toriel, did you?" Susie finally spoke. Her voice was quiet. Threatening.

Frisk quickly shook her head.

"Why not?" Susie asked. "You could easily get me expelled by just telling her what happened. You'll have your revenge, your 'retribution', and that's that. You're the king's kid—I can't even look at you without the Dreemurrs becoming suspicious."

Frisk didn't reply.

She even remained silent when Susie grabbed her by the collar and held her against the wall. Frisk felt her feet parting with the ground, but she stubbornly refused to make any noise.

"Why?" Susie repeated, raising her voice a bit. "You gave me pie. You lied to Toriel. Yesterday I met that skeleton you were with; he said you didn't want me expelled. Why? Just _why_? What're you trying to do?! Why are you being so nice to me?!"

Frisk gently put her hands on Susie's. Susie sighed. Her yellow eyes showed a hint of desperation. Tiredness.

Then Frisk could feel the Monster's grip loosening—

"STOP!"

They both looked to the source of the voice. Toriel stood in the hallway, her fists clenched. Fiery sparks flashed around her—her fury was great enough to color the flames blue. Scorching marks appeared on the walls, and one of the lockers even threatened to melt. Frisk could feel the heat from that distance.

"No…!" Frisk began.

Susie cursed, put the Human down, turned tail and ran. Frisk tried to run after her, but the purple lizard was much taller and faster than her and had reached the door within seconds.

The blue fire died down in an instant, and Frisk felt Toriel gently pick her up from behind, whispering calming words. Despite that, Frisk felt tears well up in her eyes. Her plan had failed.

That was it. Susie was going to be expelled.

* * *

"sup, king," Sans said, drawing Asriel's attention. "you wanted to see me?"

Asriel glanced back. Then he slowly got off his seat and turned away, his hands behind his back.

"In the entire Underground," Asriel slowly said, "there's one person who's better at deducing information from facial expression than you. One person whose mind is more analytical, more fit for a detective." He paused. "I'm talking about Gaster, of course. Your father—who I doubt taught you to deliver misinformation to your king and friend."

"… yeah," Sans said, focusing on looking relaxed as he sensed imminent trouble. "sounds about right. he taught me everything i know."

"That's right. So I can assume that you saw this coming, then?"

"see what coming?"

Asriel turned to him, his face contorted in the darkest glare Sans had ever seen from him. "Mom called. She told me Frisk got into a fight—with Susie. She's on her way here now."

Sans remained silent.

"Don't pretend like you didn't know anything about this," Asriel said. "You know Frisk mentioned Susie at some point. You must've seen _something_."

Sans' pupils faded, leaving his eye sockets dark.

"okay," the skeleton finally said. "i'll tell you everything."

* * *

Frisk was quiet the whole way to New Home. She figured Toriel simply assumed this was because Susie had "attacked" her, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Ignoring the fact that her plan had failed miserably, she dreaded having to face Asriel about this. She also dreaded having to face Sans to tell him how badly she messed things up. She knew the skeleton was going to get into trouble because of her now.

Once inside the castle, she was greeted by a dark-eyed Sans and a stern-looking Asriel. The king's gaze softened a little when she entered.

"Sans…!" Frisk said. "Sans, I'm…"

He put up his hand, silencing her. "it's okay, kid."

Asriel approached Frisk and kneeled down to her eye level. He didn't look angry. "Frisk…" he spoke. "Sans just told me a whole story about you and Susie."

Frisk said nothing.

"Is it true?" Asriel softly asked. "Did she really threaten you?"

"Yes," Frisk admitted. "But she's not a bad person!"

"Frisk, dear child," Toriel gently said. "Mere minutes ago, I saw her attack you…"

"She wasn't going to hurt me! She just…just…" Something began to blur her vision. She tried to keep it at bay, but she wasn't successful.

"Frisk…" Asriel said. "It's over. Susie's going to be expelled."

That one sentence caused Frisk's strength to falter completely, and she felt tears roll down her cheeks. Asriel enveloped her in a hug.

"I'm sorry, Frisk," Asriel softly said. "But I can't let this continue. Sometimes, rather than showing someone mercy, you have to teach them that they can't just push you around."

* * *

Frisk was sitting alone in her room. It was dark. She wasn't afraid—all she could think about was her failure.

She'd come so close. Susie had been seconds away from calming down when Toriel intervened. The reason why Susie had grabbed Frisk in the first place wasn't even anything malevolent. Susie was just defensive about some things. There had been a clear hint of confusion in her eyes; she really didn't understand why Frisk treated her the way she did.

But it didn't matter. It was Frisk's fault that Susie got expelled. If Frisk had only approached her outside school, where no one else could've gotten involved…

She heard voices approach her door.

"Sans," Asriel said, "I get that you're her friend, but I can't let you keep scheming around behind my back. And whatever you may be planning right now, I can't let you involve Frisk in it."

"with respect, asriel, you asked me to look after her. i did."

"Not according to the job description."

"maybe not. and i completely agree with you—you can't just let people push you around and give 'em food in return. but i'm telling you, this is different."

"Why? Why would Susie be an exception?"

"i'm not at the liberty to discuss that."

"And Frisk is?"

"if frisk were here, she wouldn't even know what i'm talking about. this is something i don't have hard evidence for, but i've got some clues."

"And what would those be? Don't forget that I _am_ your boss."

"fire me, then."

Asriel sighed. "That's not what I meant…"

"nevertheless, i can't discuss this with you."

"Asriel?" Toriel's voice faded in, along with her footsteps. "Susie's been informed that she has been expelled."

"where'd you find her?" Sans curiously asked.

"Why're you so eager to know?" Asriel asked him.

"you said i couldn't involve frisk in it, but if i were to approach susie by myself, you couldn't stop me."

"What're you planning?" Asriel asked.

"nothin'."

A brief silence.

"I found her at Waterfall," Toriel finally said, "quite close to Undyne's house actually. She was just sitting there."

"got it. see ya."

"Sans?" Asriel said.

"yeah?"

"Remember not to involve Frisk in this."

"'course not."

A brief pause. "I can never get used to that teleportation thing of his," Asriel said.

"How is Frisk doing?" Toriel whispered. Frisk tensed up a little at the mention of her name.

"She…didn't take it well," Asriel replied. "She's been in her room for almost an hour now. I felt like I should leave her be, so…"

"Perhaps that is for the best."

He sighed. "I only ever wanted to help… But I feel like I've made a mistake."

"A mistake? Is keeping a bully away from your child considered a mistake these days?"

"Sans didn't agree with it, and he's wiser than he usually lets on. Something's not right."

They left, continuing their discussion. Frisk let her head hang. She knew where Susie was—assuming she hadn't moved—but she couldn't do anything about it. Asriel wouldn't just allow her to sneak out of the house. He'd put guards at the entrance if he had to.

"kiddo?"

She jolted at the sudden voice. In the darkness, she could see Sans' shape standing on the other side of the room.

"sorry," he said. "didn't mean to startle you."

She blinked. "Sans? Sans, I'm so sorry… This is all my fault."

"nonsense. i chose to be a part of this, anyway." He approached her. "so, i heard there's this purple girl hanging out at waterfall. wanna investigate?"

She hesitated. "But Dad told you to keep me out of this. I could get you into trouble!"

"well, i've had a tendency to ignore the rules lately. wouldn't mind doin' it again for a good cause."

"But Susie, she'll…she'll be upset… It's my fault that she…" The Human fell silent.

Sans put a hand on her shoulder. "i don't think you should blame yourself. and even if i did, that doesn't change our mission."

She looked up at him.

"we have to find susie," Sans continued, "and we need to help her. no, _you_ need to help her. that was your plan all along, wasn't it? to be there as her friend?"

She nodded.

"good. then let's be off."

"Sans," Frisk said before he teleported her away. "I want to continue the mission, but…what _is_ it that makes Susie so different?"

"what's that, kid?"

"Why is she an exception? You and Dad said that people like her need to be taught that they can't push people around, but you also said that she was different. Why is that?"

Sans hesitated. Then he sighed. "susie eats chalk," he said. "in fact, she seemed pretty desperate to find some last time i talked to her. when you offered pie, she took it, and her reaction to it was not something you'd expect from a bully. even the damage to her clothing—which she never seems to change—is a clue."

"A clue to what?"

"listen closely, kid. i might be wrong about this. this is just a theory." He paused. "but to answer your question… i think susie's life might not be the most…luxurious. her family—if she still has one—is probably very poor. i'd reckon it's the reason why she's a bully in the first place."

"Oh…" Frisk looked down. That was something she didn't see coming.

"let's go, kid," Sans said.

* * *

Seconds later, they were in Waterfall. No one else was around.

Except _her_.

Frisk looked to Sans. "I'll talk to her," she whispered.

"i can't just leave you, kid…"

"It's okay," Frisk said. "She won't hurt me."

Sans hesitated, but then reluctantly backed off. He didn't leave; he only kept his distance. Frisk didn't mind that; having him around made her feel safe.

When Frisk had mustered enough courage, she approached Susie. The reptile Monster—who was sitting with her back against the stone wall—looked up, only to sigh and look back down. "You here to gloat?" Susie said.

"N-no," Frisk replied.

Susie gave her a glance. Then she stood up, towering over the Human just like she had before. "Then what're you doing here?" she asked.

"I want to help you," Frisk said in a small voice.

"Help me?" Susie said.

"I didn't want you expelled," Frisk said. "I didn't mean for this to happen…"

"But it happened," Susie snarled. "Toriel saw to that."

"S-she didn't know…"

"I DON'T CARE!"

Susie grabbed Frisk by her collar, just like earlier. The Human froze.

"Why are you so bent on helping me?!" Susie yelled in her face. "You think Toriel just expels people because she feels like it? No! I deserve this! I one hundred percent deserve this!"

Frisk said nothing.

" _Everyone_ wanted me expelled," Susie continued. " _Everyone_! Even if I could go back, no one would be happy about it."

"I would," Frisk softly said.

"That's 'cause you've got no idea what you're doing," Susie said. "No one at school is going to thank you for getting me back."

"I'm okay with that."

Susie's eyes showed confusion—not for the first time, Frisk realized. Susie's grip on her collar weakened, and ultimately the Monster let her go with a defeated sigh.

"Why?" Susie asked. "Seriously, why? Why are you trying so hard with me?"

Frisk shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't know," Susie flatly said.

"I-it just felt…right," Frisk said.

Susie eyed her. "What about that skeleton?"

"Sans?"

"Yeah. How does he fit in?"

"Dad…asked him to look after me at school. He thought I was being bullied."

"Well, he wasn't wrong. Lemme guess; skeleton confronts you, and you make a plan with him to… _not_ get me expelled."

Frisk nodded.

Susie smirked briefly. "What a stupid plan…" She hesitated. "But…I guess I can appreciate it. Even if it was all for nothing."

"Can't your parents talk to Mrs. Toriel?"

Susie glanced at her. "My parents…"

Frisk swallowed, realizing she might've made a mistake. If Sans' theory was correct, she was stepping into dangerous territory here.

On the other hand, it was the only way she knew to talk to Susie about it without being insensitively direct.

"My parents…" Susie said, turning away. "They don't talk a lot about school. Everyone…minds their own business at my home."

Frisk remained silent.

"Don't give me that look!" Susie snarled. "Not every parent is like Asriel. Get over it."

Silence. "My parents…" Frisk finally said. "My Human parents…wouldn't let me cry. Not without permission."

Susie glanced at her.

"When I was younger, I cried at night sometimes," Frisk went on. "Nightmares and stuff. They didn't like that. There were other things I wasn't allowed to do. Things other kids said were totally normal. Things most parents never made rules for. But when I did those things without being told to first…my parents wouldn't like that.

"When Asriel took me in, I thought things were going to get worse. I'd never seen a Monster before. But I found out he wasn't like my parents at all. He was like those parents who didn't mind it when I cried, or talked, or…or when I wanted a hug. I even met others who were just as kind as him. I'd…I'd been saved from…"

"From becoming like me," Susie whispered.

Frisk started. "No, that's not—"

"It's true," Susie said. "And now you want to be my Asriel, is that it?"

Frisk fell silent.

Susie sighed. "There're some things you can't fix, Frisk."

"But-but this isn't one of them," Frisk said. "My life changed for the better when I came to the Underground. Maybe…maybe you can…"

"It's not that easy." Susie hesitated. "But, um… Seeing how determined you are, if you _would_ just happen to be able to convince Toriel to let me back into the school, I wouldn't complain. Maybe I'd even care enough to try to _not_ get expelled this time."

Frisk's eyes lit up. "Susie…!"

" _Only_ if you're able to convince her. Toriel can be tough. That, and she doesn't like me."

"What? I don't believe that…"

Susie smiled. "No, she really doesn't like me. I don't blame her though." She paused. "Anyway, I should go home. I'm kinda hungry."

She turned, only to feel Frisk tugging on her arm. She looked to the Human.

"Wait," Frisk said. "W-we have more pie back at New Home."

"I don't think Asriel's going to be okay with me strolling around his house."

"Then maybe I can take some for you…"

She was silenced when Susie put a hand on her shoulder. In any other circumstance, such a gesture from Susie of all people might've been threatening, but this time it had a gentleness to it that Frisk didn't recognize. She looked the Monster in the eyes.

Susie smiled back. It was the most sincere smile she'd shown so far.

"Don't worry about me," Susie said. "Really. I'll be fine."

She removed her hand. She gave Frisk a nod, after which she turned around and walked away, hands in her pockets.

* * *

Convincing Toriel turned out to be difficult. The former queen remained adamant that Susie had to stay expelled; otherwise the lizard would find more victims to bully, and the school grounds wouldn't ever be safe.

Fortunately Sans was there to stand by Frisk's side, and as angry as Asriel and Toriel were at him for continuing to involve Frisk in the whole Susie business, they ultimately relented. Susie was allowed to return to school under the condition that she stopped her bullying. Should she continue to misbehave, she'd be removed. _Again_.

Toriel eventually left to contact the school's higher-ups; someone had to inform Susie that she was no longer expelled.

"welp," Sans said not long after. "i ought to go."

"Wait," Asriel said to him. "Can I talk to you outside?"

"sure."

Asriel rose from his seat as well, only for Frisk to tug at his hand. She gave him a pleading look. In response, he bent down and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," Asriel softly said. "Neither of you are in trouble. I'll be right with you."

She nodded, then let him go.

Asriel followed Sans outside. Once they passed through the front door the skeleton turned to him. "you sure i'm not in trouble?"

"You know," Asriel said, "some people might say that a good father would berate Frisk now too."

"for what? conspiracy?"

The king chuckled. "Yeah, I guess. Anyway, I'm still going to need your help in the near future."

"and you'll have it. i'll keep watching her for a while longer. i just gotta make sure susie won't notice me."

Asriel blinked. "You had the same idea…?"

"you really think i'm just gonna take a risk like this? don't get me wrong—i've got faith in your kid…but i'm not trusting susie yet."

"I don't know if Frisk will like you watching her, still…"

"well, i wouldn't recommend keeping it a secret from her."

"I won't. I just hope she'll agree."

"i think she's a reasonable kid."

"Can't disagree with that." Asriel paused. "And I will say, she's very…how to put it…"

"determined?"

"Yeah," Asriel eventually said. He absently looked at the entrance to his house. "Determined."


End file.
